Silent as the
by Monkeybandit2
Summary: AU. The final straw and a revelation: a new path is chosen and a dream is left behind. A new future awaits the one that washes his hands of a home he called a prison.
1. Prologue

Konoha forest, nightfall

_"It's strange how often clarity and insanity coincide with each other," came a voice speaking to no one._

A lone figure leapt from branch to branch. His clothing was all black, yet a belt decorated in a silver that glinted in the moonlight that pierced the canopy. A small shine of hair joined in at its own accord should the moon's gaze fall upon it as well. On his back lay a sword and a case large enough to fit a lengthened scroll.

_"Of course one must first define insanity. For like treasure, value, and the meaning of life, insanity actually differs with the person and more often than not its definition changes as well when used. Not by much yet changes nonetheless."_

Other figures join in and give chase to the first figure. They're forms hinted by patches of moonlight, and their positions clued with the thuds of wood, the screeches of birds disturbed from their slumber, and the forced wafting of specks only seen in the pale light.

_"I digress of course though it may have been a factor that molded my decision. At the very least it gave me an answer to a question forced upon me that was left unanswered for a year, perhaps close to two years since time was of little issue."_

One of the pursuers grabbed at something lashed to their back and whipped it out. An object of four blades unfurled themselves and was sent at the fleeing figure before it, only for the thrower to have poor aim. A branched suffered in the place of the one retreating though left behind but two hops beforehand. The figure cursed vehemently, revealing himself as a man, as it just so happened to prove to be the very branch he was soon to land on as well.

_"Why me? I'm innocent so why me?!" That was my question," the voice spoke up once again, though painted lightly in pained memories drudged up._

With a ear splitting crack, it gave way as soon as the pursuer's weight was upon it. Cursing again, he leapt to a lower tier of branches and gave chase from underneath. He glanced up at the one he chased and snarled while an arm uselessly trailed behind him.

**_Inspired and based on NU: RedX Rising by 26-Lord-Pain... with permission of course..._**

_"The answer was quite simple when I heard it, and given the seemingly endless time I had I understood it."_

Two of the chasers jumped to a higher set and tried to gain ground. They tripped on wires hidden by the night of the forest and became entangled in a mess of a virtual webbing lying in wait for such victims to fall into it. Eagerly they struggled and found it vain till another chaser that lagged  
behind freed them in the passing with spear forced into existence with a distinctive _pop_ of its sudden summon.

_"They did not care for me..."_

The two crashed into the underbrush below, only injured as their groans were heard to the ones darting through the trees with nothing but experience to guide them outside of the light of the moon.

_"True, there are the rare few who can controvert this answer. Yet compared to a whole they are but a grain of sand in a gale."_

The light only the night can bring shown brilliantly the end of the forest that rapidly approached the group. Yet for reasons the ones in pursuit could only guess at, their target sharply turned and ran towards the bowels of the oppressive atmosphere.

_"If they did care for me, they wouldn't have stolen from me. If they loved me, they wouldn't have shunned me let alone made known their hatred both uttered and given."_

In a unspoken burst of speed, the man who is chased gained ground on them before smacking both feet onto the side of a branch. He turned to those who chased him and brought his hands together in a cross shaped symbol...

**_An act gone too far, and expectations left to ruin..._**

_"If they respected me, they wouldn't have put me behind bars for a crime they knew I couldn't commit till I granted my own freedom... at the cost of allies and enemies alike even if they were so for only a fleeting moment, no matter the roll of the dice."_

Startled gasps arose from the team as they came to a stop to defend themselves from the coming onslaught. To their confusion, they only made out but three bodies that now awaited on the branch before them instead of an army. Where was-

The rustling of leaves settled what questions arose and yet to be called. They braced themselves to counter an army. Four figures descended upon them, though not in the forms they were most familiar with. Undoubtedly at least two were clones of the other, both of whom were only hinted in their poor night vision. Whoever they were, one of them was large enough to have but the tallest member of the pursuit team only have his shoulders reach up to what may have been the waist in the darkness of night. The other was of regular height, no other features could be discerned without a light. Then the clones of their target jumped in...

_"For once as long as I could remember before and after my 'epiphany' if you will, I cried without shame, without care for who found me in this state. I was broken."_

The original slipped past as his apparent allies engaged those who hunted him. A couple more clones were made as a precaution rather than an insurance. They took to the shadows as the original took to the previous exit with haste. Even though his trackers proved to be matched by his comrades, he simply charged forth from the route of the trees to a lake of immense girth. In the distance stood two statues of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, garnished in armor as ancient as they were, stood side by side of a waterfall that served as a division in their standoff against each other. This, he knew by heart, was the Valley of the End. It was almost poetic in a sense that his path had to trek across the aptly named valley.

_"Eventually I was remade. Given new life. A new chance to find a new purpose that I can obtain instead of a farfetched dream of what never will be."_

He walked forward and lets his features be revealed to the world around him. He wore all black save for the belt's buckle of silver. In fact he what he wore was not of the attire most would expect him to wear given the acts he performed just recently. Boots, jeans of a worker or craftsman, a fairly loose T-shirt, and plain gloves without tips. As if to clash against the attire despite its own color was a harness of lacquered leather that held two items: a hard leather case, and a sheathed katana-like weapon that stood out the most with its weathered, bandage-like grip of a cloudy day and the blackened combination of a ring and chain bearing what appeared to be a blank talisman at the very end at the end of the grip. One article of clothing stood out the most by comparison to the other fabrics: a cloth wrapping about his head to cover his left eye that threatened to cover his ear in its width, partially obscured in lengthy blond hair that spilled all over him and the upper half of the band.

_"I spent what may have been a year going over what I should do in the event I ever escaped. I even fought a dying battle to return to those who felt I was better off here regardless of my innocence at the time. I ultimately had but one choice after taking everything into account."_

**_He came to a decision that will mark him forever..._**

He gives only a glance, though out of respect or hesitance he does not know why his eye lingered on the statues of the two eternal rivals frozen in memory and stone, before he sets out across the water as eagerly as he had in the forest.

_"This choice they had thought buried and forgotten... they were quite proven wrong."_

The shinobi jumped up and landed on the rock wall of the Senju side with ease and continued his unnamed journey unabated. Without worry he reached behind him and undid a clasp holding that held the case close and fished out a scroll. He meanders towards the statue in favor of lessening the risk of ruining the parchment as he reads on the run, and continues to read even when he was forced to run on normal ground once more with a small gathering of two people awaiting him.

_"With enough time and effort, very few things are impossible to do."_

The first one, or rather the closest to the cliff from which their partner approached them from, was a man in a slightly scruffy pinstriped suit of a forest green and a jade green. His oak colored hair was lanky and slightly a mess much like he just awoken from bed as it reached his shoulders and covered his right eye. His left eye was covered in what appeared to be a monocle attached to a simple brown leather eye patch of sorts, the glare of the moon kept his eye hidden under the glass. Shinobi style sandals were all that hinted to his profession behind the suit. A rose sat in his left breast pocket, and a pair of brown gloves without the tips of the thumbs adorned his hands.

The other man was sitting but it did little to diminish his size; only the body shifting powers of the Akimichi clan could rival in natural height, let alone out eat given his stomach. He was completely bald and haggard. On his face grew a variable bush of grayed hair that covered everything beneath his nose, including his mouth. His eyes were but slits in a constant squint at his surroundings. He was dressed in the robes of a monk, however ragged it was upon closer inspection.

None of them said a word. Images of a battle failed, coupled with the ever dulled thunder of a technique unseen, filtered through their minds. The monk grunts upon getting up, and gives their third member a polite nod in passing to the pinstriped man who ventures to the cliff beyond. The latter man adjusts his monocle at the sight of several shinobi traversing the lake below. The monk seats himself as close to the edge as possible.

"Fourteen, fifteen minutes tops right?" the pinstripe asked boldly.

**_Lines will drawn and wills to be tested..._**

"Yeah," came the loud reply from behind.

The suit wearer sighed as he peered down at the shinobi below. The monk was already at work with a jutsu, hence the sudden pulsation of chakra being gathered, stored, and molded from him. The level of fame and insider information was more than enough to determine the identities of the oncoming shinobi, that and most shinobi who reach Jonin status or at least considered as such have poor records in keeping low profiles.

Leading the pack was Kakashi Hatake, the Sharingan user and master of one-thousand techniques. Following behind him was the "eternal rival" of Kakashi, Might Guy. After him was...

He bit back a whistle. Aside from only a handful of unfamiliar faces, it seemed that only one missing in their company was the very man they were chasing if the information was spot on. That and Asuma Sarutobi who was said to have died in a conflict involving the Akatsuki. One less worry for them however, with due respect of course.

The monk finally came to a halt and raised his right hand up high from his seat to which he slaps the ground and the nearby river that made up the waterfall gurgles fiercely. The giant of a man grunts upon standing, and again when he leaps back without looking with both hands locked in a seal. The pinstripe wearer glances at the nearing shinobi once more before fleeing the scene in the same manner as his partner and observes.

The river continued to gush forth like any other, but a giant ball of water soon rose that continued to grow to sizes too immense even when compared to the monk who undoubtedly caused its formation. The ball only continued to grow till it reached three times the caster's hieght, and certainly several times his girth before the monk calmly uttered, breaking the silence of the world save for the waterfall. "Water Release: Typhoon's Assault."

Nothing proved louder than the onrush of the waterfall's expansion, combined with a wave from the remaining mass of liquid formed on top.

If there was a scream, it was unheard. If there were orders or even a yelp to warn the other shinobi of Konoha, it was drowned alongside the anyone who tried to overpower the wave that fell off the cliff.

As if on a whim, the pinstriped man brought a hand up to jostle the monocle on his face. "Jump."

Two pairs of hands reach up from the dirt to find purchase on shins or even feet, but find their search fruitless with the distinct lack of their targets have moved. The ground rumbled and the hands frantically dug into the dirt after their elbows came through only to be dragged back in by an unseen force. In a matter of seconds later the shinobi of the arms came crashing through to the surface with their limbs entangled by vines thicker than limbs and given a wooden appearance that thrashed about wildly, serving only to heighten the screams of the hapless Leaf shinobi.

**_Pasts will be called into account, and decisions to be questioned..._**

"Sēji Muyomora," someone growled. The pinstriped man looked over his shoulder at the only other man on the scene with a hidden eye who was armed with a kunai. The brown haired man tilted his head slightly and smiled. "Oh good, I was partially afraid the world forgot about me," he said playfully.

Kakashi's eye flicked towards the massive monk as he defended himself against the former Team Nine further reinforced with Choji Akimichi and Shino Aburame. "And Riko Bunkai..." he murmurs, his grip tightening as the kicks from Might Guy and Rock Lee were blocked by the forearm of the massive man.

Sēji wipes a tear from his eye hidden in the hair, or at least made the gesture. "It's so refreshing to know the world hasn't forgotten its little outcasts," he cries in mock relief anguish in spades. "Does the world even need to remember scum like you two?" Kakashi countered.

A hand folds over his heart in mocked pain as Sēji speaks up in a fitting false tone of anguish. "Oh how hurt I am! We are human beings, are we not? Do we not deserve the right to be acknowledged for what we truly are rather than what the world has proclaimed us to be?" Kakashi's eye narrowed. "You two were in the Blood Prison for a reason," he countered once more.

"True, so true," he readily agreed with a grin. "But," he cups a hand under his chin in thought with a pout, "while my own reasons are more justifiable given my reputation and my company in unsavory people to which I cannot say I didn't belong there with a straight face. However..." He turns and paces about in a small circle, seemingly ignoring the Leaf shinobi that surrounded him while bracing themselves for a sudden attack, they only tensed further as Sēji looked to be even deeper in thought rather than worried. "I am given to understand that dear Mr. Bunkai was only there for his status as a Elder Monk when someone 'borrowed' his name without asking and pilfered quite a lucrative deal of gold from the Temple's coffers and the charges were never released. For shame, after all these years too and the gold was even found alongside the culprit." A "tsk" escaped his lips.

"Last but not least did not your own student go there as well?" The shinobi of Konoha stiffened as he continued his walk. "You know he was a bit of a screamer, then again almost everyone who enters those walls are at first. You just get so sick of the same ol' line being screamed over and over again till they are too hoarse to even whisper "I'm innocent!" that you just learned to ignore them so well that you can write a haiku and swear you never even a word _long_ before they actually stop." He stopped and faced Kakashi again with a twisted smile. "Could it be that when you failed to account the third of our little party that your village still considers him of use?"

"That's not true!" a teenage girl shouted behind him, the one dressed in red and the pink hair that was named Sakura Haruno if he wasn't mistaken. His smile only got wider as he turned about, his pose yet to be dropped. "Oh? On that token then why is there about..." he stopped to look about in all the arrogance he could muster under the circumstances without dropping his 'guard.' "Roughly twenty or so shinobi here to collect just one man?" Sakura was taken aback before she bit down and snarled out her reply. "That's not what I meant."

"Funny." Her brow perked up in agitated curiosity at this man's comment. "Well I suppose that is true. In fact that lead to some confusion between my customers and I back in my glory days yet let's consider the facts shall we?" Everyone scooted back an inch or so when Sēji dug a hand into the folds of his pinstripe suit and pulled out what appeared to be a leather bound notebook with a pen wedged between the covers and opened it with the barest bob of his hand. "Naruto Uzumaki, host of the Nine-Tailed Fox-"

"How do you know that?!" a shinobi quite literally barked. With the same smile, Sēji turned to face a feral boy with a large dog of white fur who were snarling at him respectively. "My, my. Was that suppose to be a secret? It certainly wasn't back then. In fact that was probably one of the best days in my life as a salesman when the Fox attacked Konoha. Oh how many people were screaming for knives, swords, daggers, quite frankly anything sharp and pointy with a dash of poison to them!" he spoke with restrained glee before a glowering frown marred his face, however brief it was before changing back. "Sadly I didn't get to sell as much as a liked to have but the pay was considerable. Which reminds me..." A thumb quirked and flipped the pages back and forth at speeds only a trained thumb to move at. "Say Kakashi," he spoke up without looking, "did you ever use that Tanto you purchased from me?"

"Pity," her murmured with an unfaltering smile while listening to the choked silence before closing the book.

"Now where was- Oh! Yes!" He clapped his hands as an afterthought. "As I understand it, our dear little Uzumaki was left to rot in our quaint little dungeon for nigh three years without so much as one visit from anyone that he knew from Konoha which I also understand never told anyone outside their walls." He tilted his head to the side, and Kakashi swore the man before him, though not facing him, had _both_ eyes closed despite their respective veils preventing such an observation to begin with. "All for a 'secret mission' too. Tell me," his smile got a bit darker, "was that really the purpose? Behind the false information behind the Raikage's so called 'assassination attempt'?"

Teeth were clenched, and growls were given. "Of course I do believe I must thank you all, or rather we all must thank you." Kakashi's lone free hand slowly curled into a seal all the while Sēji straighten himself. "If you hadn't sent dear Mr. Uzumaki out way, we would most likely still be in that dungeon everyone called a prison. So," abruptly he deeply bows before them all with his hair covering his face, "I thank you for your generous donation of such a valuable ally."

"Screw you! Fang Over Fang!"

"No! Don't!" Kakashi cried out yet was too late to stop Kiba and his partner Akamaru from charging at the still bent man. It was a pose that wasn't sacrificed as Sēji leapt straight up from his spot to let the Inuzuka team have his spot, with a gift of course.

A lone rose, the same one from his breast pocket, spun harmlessly on the pulverized ground yet emitted a strange flowery odor that smelt of a rose yet amplified to great lengths that even those who weren't near it could smell it. "Wild Art: Rose Seduction," Sēji said quietly with an evil grin on his face. What light there was in Kiba's and Akamaru's eyes dimmed and what rage and tension there was in their faces slackened to a dull, sleepy demeanor that gone unfazed as Sēji landed next to them in his upright manner with his unchanged smile though temporarily stooping to collect the spinning rose.

"Kiba, are you alright?!" Though without a stutter, and dripped with concern, it was a voice as timid as can be that asked. A glance afforded Sēji the knowledge of the only other Hyuga in the gather, Hinata Hyuga. Of the known and named shinobi he knew, he could only find five surrounding him if he counted the Inuzuka pair as a single person. A light "tsk" escaped him as his hand returned to his chin, and the ground continued to rumbled once more...

Meanwhile a Bug Clone was obliterated in a torrent of flames cast by the one known as Riko Bunkai. The mans turns on his heel and unleashes a spinning kick which knocked Neji Hyuga away, an act that was followed by flipping backwards to avoid a barrage of kunai and spears to which lead him into the awaiting expanded arms of Choji Akimichi.

"Gaah!" Before he knew it, a mule kick was delivered to his chest by the bigger man that too sent him away much like Neji, yet unlike before, Riko dug into his robes and fished out a rag.

"Double Dynamic Entry!" the Green Beasts of Konoha cheerfully exclaimed as they rocketed towards the former monk. From away Shino perked up an eyebrow when the elderly man's hand dove into his robes once more all the while vigorously rubbing the rag across his hairless head moments before jumping over the duo... and whipping out a flashlight.

The green clad duo could only watch in curiosity as they sped towards the man even as he flipped over them while vigirously rubbing his hairless head with the rag... before turning on the flashlight.

**_With a mild case of hilarity..._**

"My eyes!"

"It's brighter than the flames of Youth!"

Both, blinded with terrible pain, failed to keep themselves from crashing into a tree much harder than their now faltered kicks.

"Guy-sensei," Rock Lee groaned, "I don' think this has been our best night yet..."

"Unfortunately my youthful friend, we have a mission to do... as soon as the dark spots go away."

Rock Lee heartily groaned in agreement.

XVX

A third team tore through the nearby woods in a desperate search for their rogue, formerly spearheaded by the man known as Yamato, who seemed to have taken to the nearby woods while the others battled.

They're search wasn't without resistance however: traps preset with kunai, pitfalls, exploding tags, and even the flora...

"Now I regret my stance about weed killer!" cried Ino as she dodged a wooden vine laden with wicked thorns.

The agent of the Anbu had to bite back a snarl as he pierced a bulbous plant with whip-like extensions for arms with a wooden spear that was his arm, yet he had his complaints. "What could Muyomora gain from all this?" he growled out loud.

"Who's Muyomora?" Ino screamed as she continued to dodge, this time from barbs being shot out in rapid succession from a large flower with royal purple petals with red stems that swiveled its head in pursuit. It too was destroyed by the improvised wood weapon of Yamato.

"A black market weapons dealer with more than enough knowledge in the shinobi profession. Never trained or allied with any of the Villages including his home country of the Land of Grass. He was imprisoned-"

He dodged an incoming blow from behind from a monstrous moss covered creature that moved about with only two arms. "Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!"

"He was imprisoned in Hōzuki-jō years ago, though no one knows why he went there of all places," he continued. The moss creature fell apart soon after a trio of earthen spikes tore it asunder to reveal its contents to be the moss it looked like and some stones. "Since when doesn't it make sense on throwing obviously dangerous criminals in maximum security prisons?" Ino shouted in panic as another such creature lumbered towards them with the addition of the barb shooting flowers planted onto its back.

"That's not what I meant," he stated as he released the same Earth jutsu from before and destroyed the main body as well as the flowers. "He turned himself in at that place."

"Huh?" Ino intelligently gasped.

"Yeah. No one really knows why though there have been theories. The most prominent one was that he went there to avoid becoming a test subject for Orochimaru before he died." His eyes brightened in a epiphany. "That may also be the chief reason he escaped too!" Without another word, he took to the tree with Ino close behind him. The glance of an eye told him what he needed to know in what was ahead.

"Excuse me captain but what are you talking about?" she asked almost worriedly.

"Sēji Muyomora has a bloodline," was his terse answer as he whipped out a kunai and slain a oncoming vine. "In short, his bloodline allows him to mutate and to an extent control flora to suit his needs such as these creatures coming out of the woodwork." he chuckled slightly at the small pun.

"What do you mean "to an extent?" Ino gulped.

"He can't control their precise movements per se unless he's very close to them or actually touching them. The plants he wills into the life you see now act sort of like guard dogs obeying a preset order such as "attack everyone on sight" or "guard this spot. The one downside to this however is that the bigger they are, the less control he has over them even if he's touching them. With that in mind, keep an eye out for any 'rogue' flora in here." Ino gulped once again.

"Wait, how would I know what they look like?" she anxiously asked. "You'll know one when you see one!"

Ino's brow twitched in newfound annoyance.

XVX

"Just give up Loser!"

Blades viciously clashed against once another with the wielders embodying the often clashing elements of the world since times immemorial; the battle of fire and ice.

Sasuke Uchiha's seething rage was as hidden as a rock painted red in a frozen tundra as he kept trying to breach the defense of kunai wielded by none other than Naruto. He jabs, the blond dodges with a sidestep. He chops, a pair of kunai blocks if one of them doesn't deflect. He swings, and it too is blocked.

Even blows more savage or thuggish in nature like a head butt were avoided with an ever standing, ever silent one-eyed stare that continued to bore into him without hesitation let alone emotion. Naruto was as apathetic as can be... and it only fueled Sasuke's ire further with each attack performed in vain and each second that has passed, coupled with Naruto's own condescension it only grew worse.

"Aren't you suppose to be in the hospital?"

_Clang!_

"I thought you were suppose to be the best of the best."

_Smack! Clang!_

"Could it be perhaps Itachi took pity on his fledgling brother?"

"SHUT UP!"

Teeth threatened to crack under the strain as his chokutō futilely clashed against two kunai, only to be whipped away the very second before lightning coated the blade and a knee lodged into his gut. Bile and spittle forcefully rose up from his bowels and sprayed the air in front of him, even as they arced alongside him as he sailed away from the once hot blooded shinobi. Questions kept pouring into his mind only to be rejected and burnt in his mounting fury with each act against him no matter its intention.

"How did he get so strong?"

His foe crept closer at a measured pace.

"Has he been holding back this entire time?"

The one-eyed blond took to circling him like a patient wolf awaiting a wounded bear's death.

"Is he-"

"Do I have to give you a greater handicap with one kunai as opposed to two? Surely the Sharingan and your skills don't require such a luxury."

"Graah!" The Uchiha took to his feet and turned with a blade out to slit his former comrade's throat only to find air as opposed to flesh. Even with the eyes of the Sharingan, Sasuke failed to note that Naruto had long ducked, had the kunai held in reverse grip, and both clenched fists but an inch away from hitting their mark: his stomach. Sasuke's second found wind was forced out of him by right of the blow and he fell prey to an uppercut to his jaw, followed by another assault on his abdomen that forced his body to bow away, sequentially succeeded by a third fist to his gut as an afterthought.

Naruto charged forth to the forced retreat of Sasuke and planted both kunai in the ground without letting go, and flipped over without losing his grip to grab at the Uchiha with the use of his heels catching themselves at the back of his shoulders from underneath his pits and brought him arcing down 'behind' Naruto, with his head smashing into the dirt with a muffled smack of such a attack. In his daze, Sasuke was struck twice in a quick succession of kicks followed by a brutal third that repelled him into the brush and whatever lurked behind it.

Throughout their encounter, Shikamaru groaned as he looked on from the his perch on the branches above alongside his late sensei's lover.

"You'd think he'd learn by now," he mumbled to himself without any form of recognition from his current partner as Sasuke took to the scene once again like a beast. He casts a glance towards Kurenai as she too peered upon the 'battle' beneath them while her all the while her hands were locked in the ram seal. The only symbol of their ensured safety.

Minutes earlier the entire search party dedicated to the retrieval of Naruto Uzumaki was forced to divide themselves into three groups to handle the sudden and undeniable factor of two accomplices that have more than proven they were in league with their wayward comrade. In his own team's pursuit they unfortunately had to deal with creatures that appeared to have been made from the wild itself... as well as Sasuke Uchiha. A still injured Sasuke Uchiha.

"Ironic," was his thoughts. Years before it was Shikamaru as well as at least three _official_ team members that now partook in this task force that bounded through the forests to bring back the most aggressive 'shinobi' Konoha had to offer, aided by at least two others who weren't a part of the official pursuit team at that time. Now it was reversed through and through, with only minor details to take note of.

Even with all that has happened, it was bizarre to think that now it was Naruto they chased. At least a Naruto in name...

A minute twitch from Kurenai brought him back. Her chakra was forced to flare to keep back the now massing army of the flora-like creatures from mossy two armed balls, bulbous green pumpkin-like creatures with vines in the multitudes as their weapon, and even creatures that appeared to be made of thorny vines that was headed by a blossoming flower. What they were, no one seemed to know, but they did operate on the same functions needed to be fooled by a genjutsu though difficult as it was. They both knew and did not know where they were as made evident of their milling about as some gathered by at the very border of the two dueling shinobi, what they waited for could only be guessed at by the Nara.

On one hand they could possibly be some kind of ally to Naruto since he has yet to be attacked throughout the fight and the depths of the forest that have been traveled, yet on the other hand it could be that he only slipped by them till Sasuke caught up with him and it was due to Kurenai's efforts that they held back to assess what was happening. With their mission in mind, trying to use Naruto has a test subject for the second theory was a plan written by a fool. Being on a team with a Flouriest, or at least worked with them regularly, had its benefits after all.

So for now he and the mistress of genjutsu had to wait and see how the events played out. Even in his crippled state Sasuke could tire out their rogue friend enough for him to slip up _somewhere_; between the Uchiha's fury and the numerous creatures in the way, shadow possession techniques were ill advised.

The sharp and almost faint whistled prompted him and Kurenai to look to their side in time for the dim glint of blackened steel to whiz in between them and strike at the ring of one of Naruto's own kunai held up in defense with a solid and crisp _"ching!"_

His lone blue eye darted towards the corner of the only eye to be seen followed by his head and body with an outstretched foot to smack into Sasuke to face a new threat. Yamato.

Without warning, he bursts through the soil with cheeks puffed and at the ready. "Water Release: Water Bullet!"

The velocity was too great for the blond to withstand and as a result he _rocketed_ back and away from everyone in a daze from the attack, incoherent enough to not notice the numerous kunai sent his way as he skidded to a halt. Vines upon vines from the plant army behind him sprouted and formed a semi-cocoon to protect him. "Where's the real Naruto?"

"Huh?" Sasuke drooled with a growl as the the others, now joined by Ino, gawked in confusion.

A soft chuckle emerged from behind the vines as they slowly rescinded, but never left. Naruto stood before them armed with a smile... a smile too devious to belong to a trickster former or not. "Seeing as Kakashi is here, alongside the fact that you were able to tell the real from fact." 'Naruto' disappeared in a cloud of smoke to give way to Sēji Muyomora with the moon's glare still obscuring his monocle. "I have to assume that you are Tenzō, are you not?" he continued. Silence was his only answer... from Yamato at least.

"Where the hell is the Loser?!"

The ever present smile faltered only by a fraction with the turning of the perpetually glaring eyepiece towards the Uchiha. A light "tsk" predates him before his thoughts were given a voice. "And why should I answer a question from a rude little boy such as yourself?"

Just as the dark haired avenger twitched his lips a humorless reply cried out despite the smile of the man behind it. "Rhetorical question!"

"He's only buying time! He specializes in distracting his opponents for his attacks amongst others things," Yamato hissed lowly through clenched teeth to Sasuke. An actual frown of a joy killed by a buzz kill adorns Sēji's face as a more pronounced and morose "tsk" escapes him.

"If that's the case..." Sasuke starts as he readies his weapon of choice. "Then let's end this!" With a battle cry he starts a charge on the pinstripe wearer. It was a short lived one. A hand composed of vines erupts from beneath the earth and grabs the shin of the Uchiha all the while the only caster of such a creature voiced his complaints. "Now why did you have to kill the fun dear Tenzō? You're village has learned to live without your _precious_ container for so many years, would it kill you and your protégés to enjoy a nice fight with an unfamiliar opponent? Besides," he twirls an arm and grimaces in faux discomfort as he rubs the shoulder of the mobile limb, "I need practice! It's been _far_ too long since I myself enjoyed a good fight! Oh what has the world come to that won't allow such a simple wish!" he cried mockingly with his hands now covering his heart to dull the 'pain.'

During which a humanoid of plants slowly emerged from below with its captive held securely while being hacked at with a blade coated in furious lightning, assisted further with the aid of Kurenai as she dropped down to free the caught man to which Yamato hesitated in favor of watching the arms dealer as his smile slowly returned. His worry worsening upon the act of a gloved hand reaching into the breast pocket holding the rose aloft only to retrieve a rather simple pocket watch without a cover for its glass encased face.

"Ah. Apparently our fun has to be cut short no matter my desire," he said wistfully before pocketing his watch in its original resting place. "Pity," he says once more as he slowly rolls up his sleeves one by one to reveal thick bronze arm guards with no shine to them. Decorating them are holes leading inside them, two fingers in length each.

"Wood Release: Piercing Forest!" An outstretched arm explodes in a sudden fury of rough hewn stakes seeking the monocle wearer's life, yet opposing vines of many varieties sprouted and intercepted them with their own ferocity while a different set formed a barrier between the man and the Leaf shinobi.

"Wild Art: Invigoration." A fine mist of a dull green dust slowly and lazily rose into plain view above the wall of vines...

XVX

"Lightning Blade!" A lightning coated hand torn Sēji Muyomora asunder through his sternum, and effectively ripping the man in half to reveal his innards to be made of thick flora. "A plant clone?!" Kakashi gasps before dodging a flailing limbs playing host to a enthralled Kiba.

From afar he heard Riko below out his own technique. "Earth Release: Earthen Forest of Spires!" Spire after spire made of chakra enhanced stone arose from the ground, some appearing in the forest behind him and his enemies as well as the river nearby.

"We don't have time for this," Kakashi muttered as he forced the Sharingan of his hidden eye into action.

Even in the heat of battle, his blood ran colder than ice in between jumps from large bulbous attacking flora as he takes note of a large man jumping into the forest below from atop one of the pillars of rock... as another man of his size traded blows with his quarry on the side of another such structure...

The screech of a creature far too humane yet bestial thundered out of the forest, followed by the crashing of trees and the terrified squawks of birds and other creatures native to the forest as they fled in panicked alarm as a darkened giant emerged from the bowels to stand up on two legs.

"Muyomora..."

XVX

Deeper in the forest sat a lone blond haired teenager intently staring at a scroll revealing itself to anyone with an eye to spare as he mimicked hand seal after hand seal as shown before him. Behind him and even surrounding him were several stones disturbed from their rest that played host to seals glowing intensely in white runes of an older dialect of Kanji. They were not a concern for him.

A faint glow of a silvery light emanated from the hands of the one eyed shinobi as more and more chakra surged through his body in build up for the event to come, and soon will happen as another seal made the count of forty-sixth to be made only to turn into forty-seven, with not a sign of stopping even has guests started to arrive.

"Are you just about done?" Sēji Muyomora called out as he casually strolled through and in between the altered stones. A shudder slowly crept up upon him as he felt the increasingly brisk waves of energy emitting from Naruto as he sat there, energy unfelt till he passed the rocks and strolled ever closer to him with a sickly sweet grin gracing him.

If the one-eyed shinobi had thought to answer him as he molded his hands once more, he was interrupted by a more rumbling voice carried by the only other member of the trio of rogues. "Is the giant truly necessary to force your own enemies to avert from your own chase?" Riko Bunkai asked as he emerged from the cover of the forest.

The sickly sweet grin turned to the approaching bald former monk. "Perhaps not. But it does make for such a wonderful distraction, does it not?"

A pair of hands slammed into the ground with enough force to draw their attention to the blond member of their party. Curiosities were raised as they looked on as the shinobi furled the scroll once more and placed it in the confines of his case, his lone eye watching as a portal shimmered into existence bearing the same substance color that once coated his hands.

No words were exchanged, only the cracking of bones as they entered the portal one by one without question though with hesitance beforehand. Had they stayed awhile longer they would've stood strange witness to a strange occurrence.

**_Come Hell or high water..._**

Tendrils of ethereal white slowly protruded from the glowing Kanji and snaked their way to the portal as it began to close, and fed it life in exchange of the dimming of their own.

It was this scene that the pursuing team of shinobi came upon minus Choji, Yamato, Might Guy, and the Inuzuka pair if a forced slumber was to be counted.

"What is that thing?" Sakura called out, giving voice to the collective thoughts of those present save one.

"Damn it!"

"Sasuke, wait!"

"Not again!"

Without prompting from anyone, the Uchiha Avenger charged and dove into the silver portal without a second thought in pursuit of his target.

"Damn it," Shikamaru muttered again as he casts his gaze from the portal to the giant now being combated by an equal sized Choji before turning his attention to the nearly dead seals on the rock.

Teeth were gritted in frustration between what to do... and who to send.

**Silent as the...**

**A/N: I do not own Naruto, Teen Titans, nor anything else that may or may not pop up or be mentioned in this! This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

**I will admit that I have not seen nor really heard much of the Naruto movie ****_Blood Prison_**** to which I can accurately draw a base from so the version hosted here will, in all likelihood, be different in contrast from deductions I can gather from other sources. With that in mind, I will be trying to actively avoid going into it too much unless I believe it is required or at worse mentioned.**

**As I said, this story is based on the story ****_NU: RedX Rising_**** by ****_26-Lord-Pain_**** so in essence credit goes to him in terms of originality while this is my own version. I would also like to make note that I thank him for giving me permission to use his story as a base for this.**

**I would also like to thank the following for taking the time and effort to Beta Read this chapter alone:**

**_J.R. Uzumaki_****, author of ****_Red-Cloud Gentle Fist_****.**

**_MistressWinowyll_****, author of the ****_Get What You Wanted _****series as well as the aptly named 'book' which started said series. Her current book, at least as this page is concerned, is ****_Take What Is Yours_****. Please do not complain about it as neither story follows canon should you take the time to read it. (To those who prefer a light hearted (in comparison) version, ****_lord of the land of fire_**** has his own version of the first book known as ****_Careful What You Wish For_****.) **

**I would also like to say she is a partial inspiration to this story with her story ****_Get What You Wanted_**** to which she had on multiple occasions answered. But to not waste your time I will leap into the thick of it in what I had taken in as advice. ****_"If you do not like the story written as is, then write your own."_**

**And out of courtesy, ****_26-Lord-Pain_**** himself, though admittedly he did not read this as a Beta. I had asked, he had accepted, but no connection was made and given his current rate of responses I am not that patient. I hope you forgive me in this regard ****_Lord_****.**

**On a sour note, this story as well as one other I will unleash soon will be held back in favor of my stories ****_Assassin_**** and ****_Path of a Monk_**** with some, though little, work on other stories.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are willing to wait.**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	2. New World

**I do not own Naruto, Teen Titans, nor any other element that may or may not appear in this story! This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

Silent as the...

Chapter 1: New World

Unknown City

A lone calculating blue flicked from one passerby to another from high above an alleyway, its owner sitting rather casually on the railing of a fire escape as he took in the facts of the 'situation' at hand.

Moments ago, perhaps hours at worse given the impressions on his skin were finally disappearing from all but sleeping against a grate to a storm drain, he arrived into an unknown world both similar yet unlike his own. A coy, mirthful smile threatened to break upon him more than once as the same implication from his musings came to the forefront of his mind. "Freedom."

Walking by being none the wiser to his presence were crowds that moved in packs or by themselves in garbs akin to his own with some variations and exceptions. Skirts, trousers, suits, sweaters despite the heat, hoodies... frankly clothes not often seen where he came from. He has yet to spot a single kimono! As for hairstyles... he could almost laugh at some of the more outrageous ones that seemed to defy the laws of physics with most likely the aid of some kind of gel or hair accessory.

Then there was the language base itself. Though there were exceptions, the majority seemed to be the one language only a overseas trader of the Elemental Nations would speak or dare to learn if given a choice in the matter: English. A sad smirk broke through as he slowly shook his head at this discovery as ghosts from an age well past him skittered through his mind's eye.

While taking time to remove his harness with one hand, the blond muttered a silent apology to his sword as he withdrew a prepared storage seal on a slip of paper from his pocket and hid the chief markers to being suspicious even if he were to join in a moving crowd before slipping off the railing to the ground below.

XVX

Abandoned Warehouse, three hours later

Kakashi Hatake did another head count of remaining members of the pursuit team that came through the portal before it closed and reminded himself of the reasons that either encouraged or compelled them to venture through the strange portal the rogue shinobi created.

There was himself, Naruto's teacher howver strained that role was in any case. He, Kakashi, was not only a Jonin but he also bore the Sharingan which in some factor could either track or restrain Naruto Uzumaki if he resists capture. That and given the theoretical field of circumstances, he was potentially the only means to return home in the event they either fail their mission or cannot coerce Naruto, or his accomplices if that was the case, into creating the same portal that lead them into this world... provided that they were all on the same world and not some other dimension they were forced into by not being in the same party as the rogues. Kamui however was still considered an offensive technique for a reason...

Might Guy, fellow Jonin and a master of taijutsu, the virtual opposite in regards of Kakashi's strengths. If they couldn't overpower Naruto, a virtual chakra monster impart do to his status as the holder of the Nine-Tails, with jutsu then they will have to use brute force to incapacitate him. That and Naruto has little to no experience in fighting him personally. Rock Lee could only learn so much from his teacher's fighting styles before developing his own preferences.

Kurenai Yuhi, another Jonin and a master of genjutsu. She can at least confuse Naruto if not immobilize him completely. However even he could detect the slightest hints that the capture of Naruto was more personal than professional given her reserved mannerisms on the subject. Yet Kakashi can guess to what that is with but the casting of an eye.

Hinata Hyuga, Special Jonin and former student of the previously mentioned Jonin. From the hurt in her eyes and the fact that she avoided eye contact when possible, Kakashi could draw conclusions towards Kurenai's behavior. Feelings aside however, with the Byakugan, the Gentle Fist style, and medic training, she is an asset though she may be regulated to the sidelines given her obvious feelings.

Neji Hyuga, Jonin and cousin of Hinata. In short he was Hinata's opposite in his disposition though he too was confused and perturbed by Naruto's betrayal. Unfortunately he lacked any medical training.

Ino Yamanaka, Special Jonin and the only member of Asuma's students that arrived in this world. Like Kurenai's role though specialized in this trait, she was here to immobilize Naruto if need be and if possible extract any at all information in regards of the portal that brought them here. She too has medical training though not as extensive as Hinata's or Sakura's own training.

Tenten Bell, Special Jonin and former student of Might Guy. With pinpoint accuracy she could either limit Naruto's movements through denying the mobility that shinobi often take for granting or by outright crippling him for a time with a well placed blow to the leg or arm for subsequent capture.

Sakura Haruno, Special Jonin, former student of Kakashi as well as the former teammate of Naruto... and Sasuke Uchiha. Her own role was as supplementary much like Hinata's though not as clear cut behind the reasoning. Whereas Hinata no doubt had feelings for Naruto after all this time and was by nature non-aggressive, Sakura was in turmoil.

On one hand there was regret on behalf of supporting what many believed to be a quick mission given Naruto's seemingly unnatural ability to surpass the most impossible of challenges... yet what was days quickly turned to weeks. Weeks to months. Months to years... security around Hōzuki-jō improved though it was towards invaders rather than escapees... eventually the teams meant to penetrate the walls had to be called off lest they suffer retaliation from Kusa upon detection. Now after three years of imprisonment, Naruto roamed the world as a free man though not as the boy they once knew.

And still no one can figure out how Naruto destroyed the Box of Ultimate Bliss... all everyone knows is that the once great Blood Prison can no longer be used as such due to a mass jailbreak, another byproduct of completing the mission.

Meandering aside, there was also rage that boiled underneath the skin of the pink haired kunoichi. Anger from mutilating Sasuke by severing his arm as well as giving him the punishment of the century, and then there was her fury for abandoning Konoha much like the former had done years ago though his reasons were unstated compared to Sasuke's.

She was a wild card at worst, yet manageable compared to their last 'teammate.'

Sasuke Uchiha, "The Avenger," last descendent of the Uchiha clan. If his fury was curbed, everyone familiar with Sasuke's own decisions would find it amusing as it is ironic that he of all people would be here. However the true difference between him and Naruto was the reasoning: where Sasuke left for power... Naruto was a mystery. The blond wonder almost actively avoided conversation with _everyone_ when he returned to the village, and what answers he did give were terse answers to questions if he could manage it.

Motivation to leaving the village aside, it was too obvious towards his reasons to being here and the much needed watching over the boy. He was here for revenge. In the half year Naruto stayed in the village before his leave, he went on a mission to find and retrieve Sasuke. He brought back a one armed Uchiha with seven broken ribs, a broken remaining arm, who was blinded and gagged. Uncharacteristic brutality of the Naruto of their past...

Though the bones have long since been repaired with arduous care of healing specialists, the arm was another story. Between decay brought by being abandoned on the battlefield, limitations to medical jutsu that borderline with the forbidden, and the Uchiha's own refusal to have a prosthetic arm since it wasn't, quote, "worthy," end quote, of him. Projected calculations estimate that even with constant training in its use, at best only sixty-two percent of the arm's original strength would return by the time he became senile. It was now closer to forty percent now that he left the rehabilitation facilities of the hospital.

Sasuke Uchiha was a powder keg just waiting for a spark to land on it between his obsession to get even or worse, his inabilities, and instability in mind proven when they had to subdue him from attacking one of the citizens of Jump City, the place to which they arrived.

"Any questions?" Kakashi suddenly asked the gathered group at the scavenged table to which they sit at. A decisive glare from the silver haired man kept Sasuke from even thinking let alone speak.

"I do. Exactly what did Naruto steal before he fled the village?" A tired eye flicked over to Tenten, wearing a flak jacket over the attire she had worn since her Chunin days. "Scrolls from the library and the Hokage tower-"

"Pathetic."

All eyes turned to the only Uchiha. "What would benefit him from reading scrolls? He will be weak no matter what he learns."

"Funny that this comes from the guy who was defeated by one _Genin_," came the unexpected challenge from Tenten to which had everyone gawking in their own fashion, or in the case of Sasuke, bristle as their attention to the Special Jonin. "What was that?!" Sasuke snarled as his good hand gripped the edge of the table. A firm clearing of the throat dissuaded Tenten's response and what order there was had been restored.

"Any other questions?" the one eyed Jonin asked. "Are you sure Kamui would work?" Sakura hesitantly asked. With a slight turn of his head to her, he replied to her stoically. "A last resort if nothing else. All we know about where we are right now is that this world is more technologically advanced, and that they are not as widely familiar with Japanese." He gave Sasuke a quick glare to which he gave a smoldering glower right back.

"As for now let's just lie low. If that portal was indication then it's quite possible that Naruto, Riko, and Sēji were separated as well, and that's assuming that we ended up in the exact same world as they have let alone the same city."

"Why don't we just search this city now? It would certainly would help us in ambushing the idiot or at least cross this city off!" A scoff arose in rebuttal from Neji as he slowly turned to face the Uchiha. "A strategy to be expected from the man who attacked the Kage Summit with little more than a squad and had to be rescued." Sasuke attempted to bolt out of his chair to slam both hands against the table, yet his body was paralyzed from head to toe and it only took a panicked passing of the eye to find the culprit to his predicament: tips of Kurenai's fingers barely peeked above the table in what may have been the ram seal, and it seemed that only he was affected.

"If your defeat by Uzumaki's hands were not enough to break through your thick head then let me to make it clear to you," Neji continued unabated in either ignorance of Kurenai's act or blatantly ignoring it entirely. "He is not the same Naruto as he was the days back then. Would he have hacked off your arm as opposed to knocking you out if he was? Would he have attacked his allies let alone steal from them? Would he intentionally ally himself with people whose characters are dubious in the best of circumstances?" Sasuke only glared daggers at the Hyuga in indignity. "Not only that," he continued, "but let's say we enacted your plan. Where do you propose we start our search? Where would Uzumaki hide in a city like this that neither side knows of? What do you propose we do in the event we encounter shinobi tasked with this city's defense and they perceive us as invaders in our hunt?" He leaned forward on the table with his own glare. "We do not know the layout of this city. We do not know their government, nor any at all defenders or peacekeepers. We. Are. In. The. Dark. Only fools move without knowing what lies ahead."

Without warning, Sasuke's body went limp and he gasped in a heaving breath of surprise before he settled back into his spot, though the glower remained.

XVX

Meanwhile, Golden Dragon

Naruto ate a bowl of fried rice one bite at a time as he considered his next move.

For the past three hours he had tentatively explored on foot in one crowd after another to take in the sights and soak in what knowledge he can from casual, and sometimes guarded, conversation as well as what his eye could perceive without asking beyond the unassuming questions of a tourist.

For one he had learned he was in a place called Jump City, America. As to where either was on a map he had not a clue but it was something to take note of. Shinobi, or ninja as the Americans called those in his profession, were either something akin to legend from a place called Japan or were featured in movies; he only had to fear the Police force if he had to be wary, other elements notwithstanding of course. Then there was the more... unique attribute to the world he now inhabits: superheroes, metahumans, super villains, frankly people either powers or at least the ability to defeat those with powers.

The Teen Titans... so far he only had heard tales and rumors of their fights as he walked the streets. Even now the Chinese restaurant was abuzz with a minor discussion from its younger crowd while others were going about their own lives.

Though no plan was formed just yet, his plotting was ruined with announcement of ruffians as indicated with the destruction. Few looked down or away if not outright ignore, others gawked, and a even slimmer number looked to the intruders in their own fashion: simply gazing upon them with a experienced eye, looking at them in the corner of their line of sight if they had the luxury, or using the unintended potential of reflective surfaces such as specially polished spoons.

There were three in number that lumbered in at their own accord and laid claim to a empty table. The most prominent by stature was a teenager dwarfing even adults, and at least had the shoulder length a half longer than most with long russet hair crowning his head and a trimmed yet ragged goatee. On him was a black shirt without sleeves with matching pants that blended seamlessly, gilded with a riveted harness styled to look like a M that encircled just where the sleeves would've started. Covering his feet and cladding his wrists were respective attire much like the harness in style without the letter shaping.

Standing next to the teen was a more peculiar sight: a possible bald eight-year old in a green jumpsuit with its own shoes and further augmented with a backpack that sprouted metallic spider-like legs that held him aloft till he found rest in a chair, altered slightly with the swiping of a baby seat due to his size. The last thing to note were a pair of goggles.

Their third was obviously a teenage girl with light ashen skin and bright pink hair styled into twin horns slanted outward with black bands with a blue tint holding her hair together, the bangs covered her eyebrows. Her eyes, with pink irises in the exact color of her hair, were cat like in appearance and especially her pupils. As for her clothes, she wore a long sleeved dress made of the same material as her hair bands that stopped shortly passed her waist in a jagged wave pattern and covered the top of thigh high striped socks of black and matted violet that disappeared under boots much like her dress but with thick violet soles. Sitting atop her shoulders was a small shawl colored in the same violet as before, also patterned in the same wave of her dress along the bottom rim of it. Last was a collar also colored like the majority of her clothes, with amethyst oval gem hanging from it.

Muted groans arose from the staff and the more seasoned customers of the restaurant that went unheeded by the trio. Neither did they note the contracting of a blue eye focusing on them. They however did take notice of a fresh face of the waiting staff of the Golden Dragon coming at them with his sleeves rolled up and expression set to confront them. "You guys may be super powered compared to the rest of us but-"

A fist from the large one sent the waiter crashing into the wall, not to mention it had cut the smaller man short. "I guess we have to teach the new guy a lesson on how things are done here," the M wearer rumbled with a slight smirk while cracking his knuckles. It was a matter of seconds for him to get up and reach halfway across the downed man while patrons fled, save for one.

Before he took another step further, the giant was hit in the back with a chair that disintegrated on impact. Angered and coerced, the tallest of the trio swiveled with a snarl at his attacker to find no one there. "Behind you!" It was too late as a set of fingers grabbed at the back of his skull, and the floor was the last thing he saw.

A pair of jaws hung as they witnessed a boy in black clothes and a cloth eye patch seemingly materialize behind their comrade, grab the back of his head, and effortlessly had him kiss the ground hard enough to illicit a groan from the giant and nothing else, all the while holding a bowl of fried rice to which he ate nonchalantly the second his hand was freed of its task. The one responsible for their friend's position only eyed them dully as he took his time with each bite of the diminishing rice. Though he had one eye, both were locked onto his gaze and he them as an unspoken message was conveyed. He left the M wearer unchallenged as he returned to his original spot, with a new chair to replace his own.

It was just at this moment a new face arrived through the demolished door with his faced marred between intrigue and irritation. He had gray and whitening hair that was slicked back, though three points jutted out slightly at the top and sides of his head respectively. Garbing him was a robe of white which was gilded in gold trimmings and adorned with a triangular shawl that reached halfway down his chest, which bore a crest or personal marking of a elongated and distorted bull's skull made of the same gold as the trimmings to keep it from blending into the field of black that made up the center of the chest. Calculating dark gray eyes flicked between the detached boy, the unconscious giant, and the now nervous friends of the fallen teen as they tried to hide their quaking under the man's gaze.

"Headmaster Blood, is something the matter?" asked the pink haired girl nervously before getting up from her chair to perform a quick bow. Her shorter companion had taken to hiding under the table.

"Oh no, nothing's wrong Miss Jinx, I was merely here to retrieve you and your friends for choosing to play hooky once again when I happened to spot... this." He gestured to the scene of the tall teen's defeat. Without another word spared, he bypasses the disturbed teens to make his way to a respectable distance to the blonds' seat as he finished the last of his rice.

"Excuse me young man, I am Brother Blood, headmaster of the HIVE Academy. May I ask you for your own name?" he asked cordially enough, with the tiniest of grins tugging at his face. It almost became an amused smirk at the fractional narrowing of a cautious eye that turned to him.

"Naruto Uzumaki, how may I help you?" he replied casually.

The grin turned into a more pleasant 'smile' on the headmaster's face and a glow of red enveloped his eyes. "Well then Mister Uzumaki, would you by chance be interested in joining HIVE academy? I'm sure we would love to have someone with your capabilities in our school..."

So set was Blood's gaze was that he missed the slighting rising of a curious brow.

XVX

Woods

_Crack_!

The impending crash of a tree never came as a pair of hands bit into the bark and hauled the once great plant away in the dusky wilderness.

XVX

Back Alley

"Ah what a bother," an oak haired man sighed as he looked up at the evening sky from a crate turned chair.

"Hey! I thought you said everything was on sale!" A teenage rebel winced a little at the unnerving glare of a hazel eye protected by a monocle. "Yes, _everything_ on the 'table' between us is on sale," he replied coolly while halfheartedly to a tarp covered door propped up by cinderblocks that bore a small variety of weaponry from daggers to katana, including shuriken and kunai. The teenager wasn't alone as he was accompanied by a second one dressed like a ruffian, much like his friend, and later joined by a girl roughly their age though she kept to herself and the shadows where possible while ignoring the first two; a katana glinted merrily in appreciative hands of the patron whose sole moniker was white hair trailing past her shoulders.

"These are just crap! Why the hell aren't you going to sell that one on your lap? Or is it just decorated crap like the rest of-"

The teen's rant died in his throat as some thick, unnerving, _dangerous_ air permeated his senses as a sickly sweet smile crept upon the man's face as a pair of hands loosely clamped around a katana with an ornate sheath. "A standard kunai, wakizashi, or even a naginata I can buy off a vendor with little effort I could care less about who I sell it too. But know this, the higher the quality weapon makes me more discerning about who I sell it too. So a marvel like this," he holds up the katana briefly before letting it rest on his lap once again, "isn't going to be sold to a kid with money who only wants to look tough." He leans forward with his piercing stare to speak lowly. "Is my point made clear?"

He received no audible answer outside of a tiny whimper. The small clicking of a sword being sheathed rung out much like a pin drop in a silent room, the sudden sound startled the boys and prompted them to flee from Sēji Muyomora and his apparent customer who had a sinister smile gracing her lips.

It was joined by another, yet more greedy smile.

XVX

HIVE Academy, twenty-nine minutes later

"Again, sorry about that," muttered a reserved voice of Naruto Uzumaki as he carefully inspected his retrieved katana in a small out of the way room designated for potential students only. His mind was touched slightly with a calm presence.

Naruto released a pent up sigh of contentment before he started digging into the hard leather case to retrieve scroll after scroll with the very last being held like a trophy; a smirk spread itself on him with a light scoff. "You would've thought I would've stolen you twice?" he murmured before resting it along the others for a count.

His eye lingered on one of these scrolls, the third one from the last to be precise, and collected it before resuming his albeit short count before returning his attention to the scroll he just grabbed. It was slate gray save for the white bands rimming its sides, a memento from a story past.

A flick of the wrist forced the scroll to unravel and reveal its contents to be only a few seals marked for gear, medical, and weapons respectively. His hand went to the weapons, fingers tips coated in chakra yet in a darker hue that pulsed before touching the paper, and forced into existence the items that lied behind the seal: a ninjato, a tanto, eight kunai, and half a dozen serrated curved shuriken, and a fuma shuriken. The same hand, once again coated in the darker chakra, unleashed the contents of the gear seal: a light gray jonin variation of Anbu flak jackets by having a protective guard around the back and sides of the neck, forearm and shin protectors in a matte gray, a utility belt, a pair of black gloves with blackened leather segments blending into the fiber as they protected the back of his hands and fingers, and a blank mask. The last seal was left alone as Naruto folded his hands and contemplated his future.

_Growl_!

But first things first: food. Ramen if it's a choice...

**A/N: Updated earlier than I would've liked but meh... I have my reasons. Still being held back for my previously mentioned stories however.**

**Here is a bit of a mix between just notes and a spoiler to those who are wondering why only a handful remained in the Naruto-verse as it were while thinking along the lines of Shikamaru as he would've seen the situation at hand:**

**Shikamaru Nara- powerful enough intellect to possibly defeat Batman before the latter somehow develops a means to defeat the former. Someone has to think of a plan to defeat a gigantic plant of destruction.**

**Shino Aburame- Bugs are a plants' natural enemy. Especially to chakra powered plants in the case of Shino's version of the insects.**

**Kiba Inuzuka- KOed between jutsu related mind control and Kakashi's own solution to the situation: a fist to the face.**

**Choji Akimichi- Already going toe-to-toe with a killer weed. And given the runes were feeding the portal time was very much of the essence.**

**Yamato/Tenzo- Fighting fire with a tree! Ok, not really but he does have experience towards bringing down creations brought to life by Sēji and if nothing else he can slow down the behemoth at least if its still alive by the end of everyone else's respective fights.**

**Rock Lee- Someone has to report to Konoha and of the situation of a titanic killer weed that may or may not try to destroy the village or a nearby town/outpost/etc.**

**Everyone who went through the portal, sans Sasuke, is basically meant to restrain Naruto and Sasuke if need be.**

**If you're going to contend with the idea of Kamui being used as a means to travel back and forth, I ask you to look it up. Admittedly enough I was ignorant of the details of this particular jutsu till I had an argument with another writer of on the site which had sent me to look up Kamui in a bid to refute him- I failed miserably at it. Long story short, Kamui is a jutsu that can lead to other dimensions which in the story of Naruto (anime/manga) is also the prime reason as to why Tobi is impervious to a good number of attacks. He also uses it to teleport himself around the world.**

**However the only person who I believe can actually pull off universe hopping is the identity known as Tobi for his years of experience and use of the technique over the years compared to Kakashi which sort of bleeds into Kakashi's reluctance over the idea.**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	3. Steps to a change, part 1

**I do not own Naruto, Teen Titans, nor any other element that may or may not appear in this story! This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

**To Kiue Jin: Admittedly I was not planning on including the other two inmates so soon in the story (previous chapter not withstanding) so soon but meh... you're not the only reviewer that managed to sway my thoughts with a review that in all likelihood wasn't meant to coax me in one manner or another.**

Silent as the...

Chapter 2: Steps to a change, part 1

Cafeteria, HIVE Academy

"Either he's got guts or he has no idea who he's facing."

"Sucks to be him."

"This I got to see."

"That guy's cold..."

No word, no action, no thought, nor even an act of intimidation received anything more than an emotionless stare that forced many to shy away or even cower as some have shown en masse. If anything it was the acts that ever gotten a rise out of the potential recruit to the academy, and they either ended up much like Mammoth or backpedaled from the fire his eye brought to bear on them. Of course it was the former that made things all the more curious to everyone to an individual degree, save for the trio involved, including the one-eyed blond.

"Can you pass the salt please?"

Without looking, Naruto reached over and masterfully slide the salt shaker to the awaiting hand of Mammoth, the titanic teen whom had a rough 'introduction' with Naruto.

"You sure have been devoting a lot of your time into that mask of yours..."

Jinx, the pink haired sorceress who was and currently is in the company of the previous. Her head resting idly on an upturned fist that kept her from using the table as her resting place.

The third, the diminutive Gizmo, had long since chosen to remain silent as he looked over the hunching shinobi's shoulder from atop his spider legged walker as the latter reverently carved one symbol after another into the inside of a mask with the equivalent to a scalpel if not an actual one. "Anything worth doing is time consuming," the blond calmly uttered before laying the scalpel to rest on the table and picking it up to strap it on.

Though the trio that surrounded him, for what exact reasons the blond didn't know, knew what was carved onto the mask itself, save for the recently finished inside of it, others took to muted gasps and low whistles when their curious sight was reward with the find of a skull that had been carved into the front with a small bordering to keep the teeth from appearing to be one. On the forehead was Japanese kanji , 霊; Yūrei in the spoken tongue, Ghost, Soul, or Departed Soul in the English tongue. Yūrei, the name Naruto had taken to be his alias.

With the mask set upon him, he takes leave of the table with only one sentence as parting. "I'll be heading to the gym."

There are a handful of methods to joining the HIVE academy that existed before and after Brother Blood took to the position of the Headmaster of the 'institute,' each labeled as an exam:

Basic Exam, in essence one ran an obstacle course alongside weeks of training, which is an optional part of it, alongside mandatory attendance to classrooms least likely to give away or otherwise betray the HIVE should the candidate "drop out" as it were with minor mind wiping as a safety protocol.

The Written Exam, a surprisingly near unused exam in favor of most students intent on using their powers to impress or even intimidate higher ups and currently enrolled 'students.' The only known applicants to this test are Gizmo, Kyd Wykkyd, and Angel for either the lack of strength to partake in Basic, not fond of the former for personal reasons, not confident or lacked the skills needed to partake in another type of exam.

The Combat Exam, in which a applicant must defeat a predetermined opponent in order to join the academy all the while cutting through most of the paperwork and any at all skill assessments needed by other exams; few seasoned members, humbled, or world weary of the HIVE or otherwise were not surprised that this particular exam held the highest dropout rates amongst potential 'students' than any of the others combined due to injury, the occasional death, and the breaking of wills of the more brash and arrogant of recruits. Whether out of pity or perhaps the fact that usually the more veteran of students, and at times faculty, are in essence the obstacle to this exam, failed participants still seeking to join are permitted to take other exams of their choice after failing this one.

Last but not least were the second of the seldom used programs, the Honorary Exam. It is by far the most flexible for a small number of reasons. In short someone who has proven themselves capable of standing against and defeating a recognized armed force, be it the police en masse or otherwise such as the army or even a recognized hero for example, or came recommended by a more trusted source with a small measure of proof are permitted within the academy. The police were often the ones to suffer at the nonexistent hands of this particular exam.

It was the Combat Exam that Naruto had chosen and his opponent was the one known as Cheshire, one of the more elite members or at least the toughest as far as gossip was concerned. He had only a week to prepare since choosing this exam after three days of entering the halls of the 'institute.' Only two things had happened, as far as Naruto was concerned, in those seven days: garbing himself in more appropriate articles for his potential profession and the recent finishing of his carefully carved mask which now kept the entirety of his face hidden, his eyes, or rather eye, included due to the seals now at work. Haircut not included.

The items released from the scroll were now on his person, fastened to their appropriate placements with only two alterations, one of which was his mask now fashioned to a skull, and his flak jacket now had shoulder pads stitched in by heavy weave yet were small enough to still permit full flexibility of the limb they partially guarded and a small angled loop now fitted a ninjato on his back angled to lean over between his neck and shoulder on his right. The katana ornamented with a blank charm lay and gently swayed on the belt whenever its user moved. The clothes he worn before were replaced with a new set altogether though not thrown away. Slimmer pants now garbed him with just enough room to make the utility belt near mandatory. A long sleeved shirt covered his chest and arms though allotted a small section of skin between his gloves and the shirt. His boots were military grade and converted into black from an original brown color; all in all the color scheme remained the same save for the protection now equipped to him.

The utility belt cam equipped with what could be considered standard for its design, a few armored pouches, a kunai holster, holsters for shuriken, and a canteen of water.

For all intents and purposes as his stride is showing, he was ready as ready can be.

XVX

HIVE Gymnasium

When referring to a gym of any sort, most people would think of a place dedicated to physical enhancement through training or a place to improve a set of skills, be they underlying or non, for a lifestyle or even vocation through the use of sports related equipment and even weights. They would be have right at least.

Any such room found in the HIVE academy was called a recreation room, or rec room for short, while the gymnasium was in fact a training ground and at times, with heavy albeit temporary modifications, simulator. It was a sizable hexagon of a room made of hexagonal tiles made to live up to its acronym namesake. Surrounding the, debatable, pit are stands meant to accommodate at least a quarter of a football stadium's worth of spectators and a control booth tucked away in relative safety along the wall. A dome patterned in the same honeycomb pattern as the room sat on the ceiling, its purpose either unexplained or purely decorative.

Be it a lack of an activity to busy them or lack of one to hold their attention, students and faculty alike congregated on the stands of the gymnasium to watch what many already concluded to be a brutal failure on Naruto's part at the hands of their more seasoned student known only as Cheshire, their equivalent to a kunoichi in the eye(s) of the shinobi.

How long she had been waiting for him in the middle of the gym seated in the lotus position, he couldn't tell. Regardless, she kept herself well groomed from what he could tell. She was wearing a green kimono top with a lime green trim that came just short of halfway down her thighs. She had long black hair kept into two separate tails and further held in their separate bundles by a lime green wrapping of either cloth or perhaps bandages, the same type of wrap also served as a belt of sorts for her kimono. Black pointed heel boots were her choice in footwear went as far as half up her calves and further topped in the same lime green as before. She too also worn a mask designed to mimic a menacing cat, complete with ears and a fanged grin, with green eyes while whiskers and other ornamental designs were in the color of pink or black.

Her choice of armaments however were not visible, and all Naruto knew was that she sported a claw type of weapon and the possible ability to turn invisible from what rumors were floating by born from previous matches she partook in that now had new life since he was slotted as her new opponent.

"Welcome one and all!" The barest of twitches ran through both shinobi but nothing came of it as they stared each other down while the kunoichi stood straight. "Today we are treated to a battle of skill between our Miss Cheshire," numerous screams, shouts, cheers, and even wolf whistles fought viciously to climb over each other to be heard, "and Mister Yūrei!" bellowed Brother Blood from atop a floating platform as a new set of shouts, booing, and derisive laughter arose; neither participant appeared to have taken notice of any of the noise. "As we all know," he continued, "should Miss Cheshire be defeated or forfeits then Mister Yūrei will be a student of the HIVE academy! Let us begin!"

With no further encouragement, Cheshire made her first move and gave testament to at least the rumor of invisibility; with a shimmer, she vanished. The crowd grew silent and some even went to the edge of their seats, or in some cases leaned forward due to their proportions being significantly larger than most by comparison, to see what would happen next. Some groaned in mild disappointment or quirked a brow of confusion when Naruto's choice as a response... was to open the canteen on his belt without removing it.

Mutterings arose and were ignored as the skull wearing shinobi stepped to the left to deftly dodge a set of claws seeking him from behind. And again when another set came at him from the side as a floating pair of eyes and a fanged grin became evident as they floated in midair. With the cap removed his other hand came to his belt, flipped open one of the containers, and utilized a smoke bomb much to the startling and abrupt shock of Cheshire; it was certainly not a common sight to have one used against _her_ of all people. The bomb however was the least surprising to what came after, a fist lashed out from _behind_ her in the smoke that quickly enveloped her partially revealed body and connected with her back hard enough to disrupt her cloaking.

From the stands many squawked to find their attention torn away from the battleground below when something cool caused their skin to prickle with goosebumps; by some unseen force a fog was pouring forth from everything that was liquid, be it frozen or otherwise, that had been brought as a refreshment or even as ammo for a gadget though not limited to it. A fog even began to materialize from the smokescreen itself which the chilled air from the stands now supplemented. It certainly gave forth a chuckle from Brother Blood as he observed from the control booth. "An interesting tactic and ability," he commented in an amused manner. "Bring it to level two."

From the never lifting fog towers arose by themselves or in small groupings made from the honeycomb tiles now concealed by condensed vapors which seemed to grow darker as wisps of the smoke bomb seemed to have mingled with the water particles. It mattered little to Cheshire with her cloaking field still active as she cautiously stepped through her now veiled world.

"Strangely enough there are only three times in my life so far when I was gripped in the very jaws of fear itself," came the skull wearing shinobi's voice from nowhere. Everywhere. Somewhere. The kunoichi's claws came up defensively as she crouched defensively. "Two of which occurred but a day apart from the other on my very first mission involving life or death."

The raven haired kunoichi guardedly kept an eye out for even the most meager of signs of an attack during which she dug into the sleeve of her kimono to retrieve a trio of shuriken.

"The first time was when I left the walls of where I had spent most of life for the first time, it was at the hands of a pair of shinobi seeking the life of my team's client and had no qualms nor hesitation to murder freshly minted shinobi. My hand didn't move to defend myself nor anyone when they came at us like wild animals." A strange nostalgic chuckle permeated the air. "Yet compared to the one who led them I would have to say that particular fright was on par of being told a ghost story."

Her head swerved to the right at the sound of stone grinding against something metallic. "He made his battleground much like this, a place where the sight is only awarded by haze and the blur next to you-"

Cheshire violently turned and prepared to lash out till the darkened figure gave way to nothingness. "Was either friend, foe, or your very mind set against you." _Sssshink!_

"He brought up an interesting lesson for me and my allies for that mission." _Sssshink!_ "There are at least eight methods to kill someone near instantaneously should that be the task at hand." _Sssshink!_ Every weapon readily available was gripped tighter. "The larynx." A thin cut stung her throat and a small trickle of blood seeped out. Her gasp rang out as clearly as a bell while a hand clasped around the wound in mounting fear. _Ssshink!_

"Spine." A blade lightly hacked at her back and caught mostly cloth, but the burning sensation was enough to prove the blade drew blood. _Ssshink!_

"Lungs." Her eye swore there was some kind of movement before her yet a sword accosted her once more along the pectoral region of her body. The cut was far smaller than the other two, possibly even a stab wound rather than a slash. _Ssshink!_ Her knuckles whitened as her weapons suffered the strengthened grip.

"Jugular." The shuriken were whipped out, followed by quick slashing of her hand held claws to catch something, _anything_ to stop the next attack. The warmth of her life giving fluid told her of failure. _Ssshink!_

"Subclavical veins." Two prongs caught the sword that was her tormentor's weapon but broke under the force driving the larger weapon that carved lightly into her chest again. _Ssshink!_

To get away from the floor, to get away from the fog, to get away from _him_, she jumped to a low standing platform she managed to discern through the mist and ascended to one platform to another. An awaiting blade slashed at her waist. "Kidneys." _Sssshink!_ Her flight forced her to kick herself away from the platforms much harder to the point one of the heels of her boots broke off; getting away proved to be far more urgent than a forgotten heel.

The kunoichi burst through the mist, unashamed to let the world see her now ruined clothes and the blood creeping out of the wounds to her neck that were too light to be fatal which helped tarnish her clothes. More than one gasp from the light hearted was uttered while others gaped, and some even smirked with more bloodthirsty glee. She saw some mouths move, move to what she couldn't tell for their voices didn't reach her ears since they were drowned by a more familiar rasp she became acquainted with against her will.

_Ssshink!_

She whirled around and stumbled as a result to find her enemy 'eyeing' her coldly while crouching slightly, his left hand held out towards her with all his fingers spread out save for his index and middle finger and the ninjato that was his weapon fitted between the two which its blade pointed upwards. "_Heart_."

The blade came at her. It came at her _slowly_. By choice? Or was it her own psyche trying to save her, to give her time to flee? Her foot stepped back in fear, her foot bearing the boot with the _broken heel_. Her other foot tried to correct the mistake but it was too late. The stagger was too great for her to handle and she fell straight back into the fog, but not silently.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" It was a shrill scream. It was a scream riddled with fear brought from the unexpected aided further with a distraction from the truths around her.

Naruto, or Yūrei, disintegrated into the very fog that cloaked the field below.

"Sir, should we call the match?" a robbed henchman asked without averting his gaze from the control panels in front of him.

"No," Brother Blood spoke in quiet finality as he eagerly peered into the mists below. "Let's see what else he has in store."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Even the headmaster jumped at the bloodcurdling scream that shrieked from the hidden pit; no one dared to breath afterwards.

Seconds crept by at the length of hours before anything happened. The charged nerves of every onlooker jolted into action in one method or another be it a spasm, scream, or even falling backwards in their seat when someone leapt out of the fog and landed on the raised wall that kept most from accidently falling into the arena by a careless step. It was Yūrei, Cheshire lied limply in his arms.

Medics ran in from the adjacent halls to attend to attend to the fallen student now left in their care while the one who brought her to their care shuffled to the side.

"She's alive!" one of them called out.

"Damn... I think I had it easy back in the restaurant," mumbled Mammoth as he rubbed his forehead to assuage a ghost pain. Jinx and Gizmo nodded their heads violently during which all three paled.

From the control booth Brother Blood chortled. "I wonder what he did to give our dear student Cheshire to give her such a fright."

XVX

Dormitory, Six months later

"Are you still obsessed with that?" A tick mark sprouted on the head of the diminutive genius. "No gack-muncher, I'm just trying to figure it out," he retorted as his eyes never left the computer screen. Jinx sighed as she peered past him to watch yet another replay of a segment recording the fight between Yūrei and Cheshire. It wasn't without _some_ reasoning however as Jinx came to realize some time ago.

"Even I can't track her when she turns that thing on," Gizmo grumbled. He hit play to the scene once more of Cheshire attacking Naruto while the former _wasn't looking_.

"Can't you just chalk it up to a developed six sense or something? He did say he was in a profession of assassins." She groaned before mumbling a supplement, "Assassins with abnormal powers."

Gizmo's response was to play the video. _Again_.

"Hey guys, we're going to be late for class!" Mammoth called out from the hallway. "Damn it," muttered Gizmo as he turned off the computer and later the screen. His irritation made only worse when his eye caught the latest showing of time, nine-forty-nine am. Their classes were at ten-thirty at the earliest.

Mammoth's warning however wasn't without a measure of merit however. Life had a habit of intervening in the most peculiar and sometimes predictable of ways through forewarning or repetition. For the troika of the HIVE, it was mostly repetition for the most part. Due to a budding friendship with Naruto, Jinx had taken to defending him from in measures not usually anticipated even by any form of friend's standard. Namely she had taken to thwarting a bizarre collection self imposed fan girls, that somehow sprouted when he officially joined the academy much to Naruto's curiosity and dismay, that had taken to near cult-like idol worship of the blond shinobi in question. In its own humbling way, Naruto had a new though dim respect for Sasuke for the trouble he went through in the days in the shinobi academy; having to booby-trap his underwear drawer was the last thing he ever expected to do just to keep his laundry, if anything he thought he would have to resort to those measures to guard something valuable such as information or even money.

The latest craze that Jinx had taken to halting was a series of photos of the blond that began to circulate among the fan girls, the most coveted are the extreme rare ones featuring him without a shirt which revealed a fact that he bore a rather strange tattoo on his chest just over where the heart is often thought to be located; it was a thick hollow circle featuring a pair of kanji that no one was able to discern due to only a portion was ever visible, never the full image. The only answer ever given about it was a strange wistful smile... and the occasional embarrassed request to at least figure out how they managed to get the photos to begin with without his notice which only egged Gizmo further into believe the blond held some sort of visionary power. It was only made worse when Naruto neither refused nor accepted this hypothesis though Mammoth and Jinx did get some kicks and giggles when the genius proceeded to try to break his own desk with his skull in a poor bid to figure it out.

Both male members of the trio groaned when they recognized a certain glint in her eyes, their weary annoyance was compounded when they heard effeminate giggling rolling down one of the adjacent hallways.

XVX

Hallways

"Aw damn it, why me?!" This was certainly not how Victor Stone imagined his day would start. He is an African-American with no hair and built like a linebacker if not a wrestler. His clothing and other articles of choice, a dark gray muscle shirt, black pants supported by a steel studded belt, blue boots, steel armlets, a steel circlet for his cranium, and a pair of rings were under the very real threat of being torn off at the hands of a mob of apparent fan girls. At least until they realized that one, they had come to learn they had pounced on the wrong target, and two, a certain ashen skinned sorceress arrived on the scene with a pair of her pink colored bolts at the ready with an angry twitch of the brow and grit of the teeth.

"Little help please!" Victor cried out from underneath the now panicking group of fan girls.

"RUN AWAY!"

"NOT AGAIN!"

"WHY ARE YOU HITTING ME TOO?!"

"Bet he wishes he didn't ask for help now," Mammoth commented while peeking around the corner alongside Gizmo. "Heh. Think we should qualify this as his initiation?"

"YEOCH! HOT! HOT! HOT!"

"I'm thinking we should give him the next few days off," Mammoth squeaked with a grimace upon watching their fellow student performing the stop, drop, and roll after combusting into a man-sized firestorm amidst the storm of hex bolts that continued to chase and pelt the retreating fan girls while destroying the hallway at the same time.

"Yeah... where's the fire extinguisher?"

From afar in his very own corner, Naruto wasn't sure to think of himself as lucky or remorseful between avoiding the debacle before him and watching an innocent bystander to this mess set ablaze and get mauled between the flame extinguishing foam and a heavy set blanket meant for the same purpose as the fire extinguisher; the body switching technique was most likely never meant for this type of application outside of combat. A pang of pity was also felt for the fan girls who tried to ambush him, but was quickly crushed with apathy.

"To think I was jealous of Sasuke all these years," he spoke with a slow shake of his head. "May you keep it forever, Sasuke Uchiha."

XVX

Meanwhile, Konoha Hideout

Strangely enough it wasn't the fact that the morning sun was blaring through the haphazard windows of their hideout that caused him to awake, it was the sudden chill down his spine as well as the powerful urge to sneeze that awoke the slumbering Uchiha.

"Finally found it worth your time to awake?" Neji grouched from a nearby table as he partook in a cup of coffee, courtesy of one stolen coffee maker; choice of coffee flavors however was found wanting.

"It felt like someone wished me the worst of all fates," Sasuke whispered to himself with a shiver.

XVX

HIVE Cafeteria, two hours later

"Wouldn't it be considered detrimental in any relationship if your current boyfriend was set on fire by you?"

"It was an accident! And he's not my boyfriend! We're just studying together!"

Heated counters and denials were easily ignored by the antagonist as he morosely munched on his meal of chicken, bread, and a mysterious blue mold that was trying to discreetly devour a roll... alongside the edge of the spoon when the blond dared to poke it, or at least tired to eat it.

"That would be the seventeenth failed ambush this month alone and it isn't the even its second week," Naruto mumbled. "If this keeps up, I'm just going to have to play hooky just to take a breather."

A gleam all too familiar to a certain pair shined from a certain homunculus. "You know if you really need a distraction..." Jinx groaned and screwed her eyes shut as she ramifications, despite Gizmo's request had yet to be voiced, were already made real in her mind. "There's an interesting rumor I heard awhile back while Slade was alive and kickin'. Word is that gack-muncher Robin invented a suit loaded with all sorts of gadgets that could take out the other Titans, for what I don't know. If he did invent suit then he sealed it up somewhere inside Titans Tower-"

"Hey, isn't that the same mold those twerps had in their fridge?" Mammoth suddenly interrupted as he poked said mold with a spoon. The mold in retaliation managed to take a bite out of the antagonizing spoon much to everyone's shock; a small roar of victory was the only sound that escaped the table.

Twirling his spoon about in his fingers to a reverse grip, Naruto used the utensil as he would a kunai at an unseen object behind him and was rewarded with a satisfying crack of shattering glass and the hoarse hissing of "Damn it." During which, Gizmo produced a jar in one hand and its corresponding lid in another while creeping up on the mold as its attention turned to the chicken. "So, would it be a bother to ask you to cover me for about a week?"

"Hm? Yeah, go ahead," answered a distracted genius as he prepared to pounce on the growth; a glass jar quickly encased the mold.

_Crunch!_

The jar's intended purpose and the plan behind it now had a hole, around the bottom of the jar to be precise. With a growl, the growth turned its nonexistent eye to a gawking dwarf and charged, the latter fleeing after a quick gathering of his wits. "Help! Ferocious Fungus on the loose!"

"Hold still!" A gigantic fist utterly destroyed the spot the mold was, not to mention the table, only for its owner to find that both have long left the table before either Mammoth or Jinx even realize it.

"Another day at the academy," mused an irritated sorceress as her larger companion gave chase and left a trail of destruction behind Gizmo; an idle thought was spent wondering why the bald genius hadn't had the thought to take to the air with his jetpack, glider, or even the spider legs for that matter. She spent an exasperated sigh and turned to the shinobi in their midst but only groans to find he had taken advantage of the mess and disappeared.

"Get this thing away from me you slug-faces!"

"Run in circles, I can smash it!"

"Ew! What is that thing!"

"Someone get a flamethrower!"

Fingers were crossed and a selfish prayer was spent for Jinx to not be on the cleaning detail.

XVX

Hallways

"Now how to go about this," Naruto muttered to himself. An assault on Titans Tower did certainly cross his mind and was struck down, it would draw too much unwanted attention. Stealth was obviously the finer point of strategy at the moment, but there are obstacles to be accounted for: Eating habits, sleeping quarters, routines, set defenses and alarms, layout...

He came to an abrupt stop and hung his head as a thought occurred to him. "Apparently I have to rescue Gizmo." Jinx, Mammoth, and the diminutive genius are the only ones to have battled and defeated the Teen Titans and in their first encounter no less. They even went so far as to, temporarily, claim their lair on their island 'fortress.' If anyone took a more permanent keepsake from there it was Gizmo by hacking into the tower's blueprints and saving a copy.

It certainly didn't hurt to turn about and ask.

"-not much to report just yet guys. It's only the first week after all."

Naruto's attention came to the open door of a darkened room. He hugged the wall, drew a kunai, and slide to the open door which he used the reflective blade of a polished kunai to peer around the corner and find Victor huddled near the corner of the room with something giving off a brilliant light. Narrowing his eye, the kunai twisted slightly in his grip to permit a better look; the arm of Victor Stone was altered... it was encased between white painted metal and what appeared to be glass encasing light blue and dark blue circuitry underneath.

"No wonder you avoided Basic," Naruto calmly stated to himself in a near invisible tone. In more recent times, the name of Victor Stone had been added to the still limited list that was the Written Exam.

"Alright. But tell us if you find anything. As I said, it gets more dangerous the longer you stay there."

The communicator went dead and the arm of Victor Stone returned to the same image most knew it. He took a deep breath and left the storage room after taking a quick peek at both ends of the hallway to make sure the coast was clear; no one was in sight.

XVX

Jump City, half an hour later

"On one hand they aren't at full strength, yet on the other they are less inclined to leave their tower as a team lest someone learns of Cyborg's absence."

This was certainly an unexpected quandary. While nothing suggested he _couldn't_ break into the tower and begin his search in the vault, its location revealed by a hunch proven correct by Gizmo, to possibly retrieve the suit, even the most novice of thieves would agree that any theft is ideally done when there is no one to guard or challenge the theft to begin with. But what would draw them out of their stronghold?

The HIVE was currently lying low for the moment after a recent string of bank robberies, which would explain Cyborg's hologram deception. Current major villains heavily associated with Jump City are in prison for the time being. Certainly crimes of a less flashy caliber wouldn't draw their attention given their hidden status.

A henged blond stopped dead in his tracks. There was one possible option, and he had the ego and the will malicious enough to do it for a price. Now provided that he could find the ornery bastard, the issue lied with the method of payment.

The neck of Naruto popped as a plan formulated in the confines of his mind.

XVX

Jump National, back entrance, twenty minutes later

"Alright, we're good to go!"

The doors were slammed shut and the armored truck left its dock at the bank behind in a matter of moments. Glancing back, a guard peeked out the window as they turned to the streets. "Clear."

Back at the bank's dock, blocked from view by a dumpster, a guard's eyes flew opened in panic. Try as he might, his hands were too tightly bound by duct tape, and cries for help were muted by the silvery adhesive strip. The dulled cries, joined in by another that shared this predicament, went unheard for some time.

Meanwhile in the back of the armored vehicle, a skull masked shinobi opened a scroll and began to plant bag upon bag on the parchment only for it to vanish into a freshly inked seal bearing the seal for "money."

XVX

Lethal Amusement ('abandoned' warehouse, factory district), two hours later

"I should really consider moving," whined Sēji Muyomora as he sprayed an innocuous thorny vine growing out of a pot. "These conditions just aren't suitable to grow anything." In truth the only real issue he had with his current residence was the fact that there was only _one_ skylight to give any plant life a chance to survive; a meticulous hand and a good sweep of the broom handled the rest of the problems.

"Perhaps if you lowered your standards and willingly sold to the highest bidder then you wouldn't live in such... 'squalor.'" The merchant frown, distaste more than evident in it, as he spurt another fine mist of water onto his potted plant. "Oh please do not joke like that. It's just an insult to hand over quality works to punks who can't use them, won't improve their skills in their use, or never _will_ use them." The oak haired man sets the bottle down on the table in front of him and turns to face his uninvited guest with a lukewarm smile if not an empty one. "Now what brings you to my humble abode, Mister Uzumaki?"

A brow perked on Sēji's part to find his once ally now garbed the way he is, with a mask attached to a utility belt peeking slightly past his hip, but lowered as he dismissed it. Who was he to talk about changes that had to be made in a foreign world after all? For that matter, what has become of their dear friend Riko Bunkai? Has he wondered off or has he too found residence in the place known as Jump City? But unfortunately for the curious mind of Muyomora, those questions will have to be answered at a later date if ever. After all, this is the first time Naruto Uzumaki has come to have words with him since their trip through the portal.

The one-eyed blond casually reaches into his belt and produces a scroll which later he tossed to the pinstriped suited man. "A million in cash for a day of a distraction." The eyebrow rose again, an impressed whistled was given, and a lopsided grin made itself present. "Oh? Whom do you wish for me to pester then?"

"The Teen Titans."

A low chuckle escaped the arms dealer. "That's all? Oh how cruel of you to pit me against so few who can't compare to anyone I know!" he 'wailed' while throwing his arms up dramatically while his head tilted back before both hung in faux depression. His ears were rewarded with the sound of a pair of boots nonchalantly walking away as well as Naruto's reply, "Tomorrow at one pm would be lovely, preferably somewhere along the edge of the city limits just to delay them if it isn't a bother for you."

"Spoil sport," Sēji whined. The man cracked his neck and blew out an exasperated sigh before placing his hands in a steeple position as he paced about in his spacious 'home.'

"What to use... what to perform..." he quietly murmured in thought.

XVX

Pier nineteen, six-forty-three pm

_Hack!_

_Slash! Swish!_

_Stab!_

Imaginary limbs and blood sprayed in the air with precision care of a swordswoman armed with a wakizashi in the shadow of a crane thanks to the setting sun. To an observer who was familiar with Japanese weaponry, or at least were familiar with the katana, the sword held no distinction from any other sword of such caliber. That was where the similarities ended; the hand guard was different than most others.

The hand guard was an almost an almost hollow ring that was kept in place by four thin roads fashioned as a wakizashi like the blade itself, a pole-axe, a round shield, and a spear.

The final act of the imaginary battle she faced, the woman kicked up a abandoned can and sliced it in twain before sheathing the blade and sighing.

With the ease of a tired routine she departs the scene, stopping only to bend over to retrieve a dark gray hooded windbreaker, and enters the light to reveal herself as Tenten Bell. Gone was her clothing often associated with her profession in favor of street clothing more native to Jump City: baggy blue jeans, running shoes striped in brown vertical stripes, and a slightly sweaty light gray T-shirt now adorned with the windbreaker which further hid a small holster that the wakizashi now occupied. Her hair as hung in a pony tail that tried its best to follow her back despite the coat blocking it, a blue scrunchy kept the mass together.

Though she was a good example of great health, there was nothing to hide the fact she looked and even felt tired. Her activity, once relieving in its carefree style, now became more of a flight of fancy that did nothing for her other than offer some time to bond with her sword as one question after another lie unanswered in her mind.

She shook her head and casually, albeit wearily, strolled down the pier to the series of warehouses decorating the facility that she improvised as her unaltered retreat. It was a strange mix of abandoned storehouses in majority, currently in use but barely visited ones, and the ones that were used more constantly were situated as close to the only paved road leading in or out of the near abandoned harbor; her pursuit team's quarters was on the opposite end of the group, farthest away from the water by virtue of the last row.

She let loose another sigh and gave a curt but polite nod to a stranger, who in turn nodded back. There was next to nothing guarding the pier from anyone with a will: the homeless, goths, transients, teenagers, and the occasional thug or two; few other bothered the other and even then the issue was normally personal space or a marked territory of the more hostile of those who have no true home. Tenten just kept walking and quickly disappeared from sight, which didn't really matter much for her when she was on the oceanic part of the area.

"We won't say anything! Promise!" It was heavily muffled, but it was enough to grab her attention and divert it to a warehouse to her left. She knew it fairly well, she even used it as sheltered when she got caught in the occasional heavy torrent of rain till it either lifted or lighten up enough for mildly safe travel, but now it would seem someone was in trouble within its walls. She hopped onto an old outlying crate and propelled herself to the roof, even then she quickly scurried to a gaping hole in the roof that had been there long before Tenten visited the warehouse; it also offered a nice drop off point to the rafters far above the ground floor, and by extension the scene below as well.

Tenten landed with a quiet plop on one of the beam below and mutely growled at the scene below. A group of thirteen armed goons seemed to have taken over the warehouse and made it a mix between a hideout and a storehouse for whatever deal they planned to broker now with the sudden influx of fresh wooden crates that now dominated the once clear floor, and now it seemed a pair of teenagers, fourteen to fifteen year-olds possibly, seemed to have stumbled across this gathering. Judging from the stiletto in one of the thug's hands, a woman no less, and the fact the wielder of the weapon stalked menacingly towards the cowering children, this supposedly secret coven of brigands was going to be kept secret.

Her fist clenched, her nails bit into her skin sharply enough to be noticed. "Keep out of sight and your head down," filtered the voice of Kakashi Hatake inside the recesses of her mind. "Do not do anything to reveal yourself or endanger yourself outside of the parameters of the mission: capture Naruto Uzumaki."

_Why?_

On paper it made sense, if she was unattached that is. As a human being however it didn't. Her nails began to prick her skin whilst the woman inched ever closer to the trembling kids. Logically it made sense, it was conserving their strength for the unknown in their _mission_. She was a kunoichi, a kunoichi of Konoha no less. She was supposed to cast aside her personal feelings for the sake of the mission.

She was to sit quietly and let this happen. It was for the good of the mission...

She was to let someone's life end and not lift a finger...

She was to be the soldier her superiors expected her to be...

"We didn't even do anything! What did- _I do to deserve this?! I didn't do anything!_" The entirety of the young woman's body began to shake violently as less than six feet separated the soon-to-be killer and the teens.

"There are times when duty and what is right never coincide," a metallic voice of no gender whispered softly to her. Tenten froze, not in fear, surprise, or even anger as she strove to listen. "What is your choice in the matter?"

A gritty flashback assailed her. It was of her standing with the crowd of gathered shinobi watching a familiar blond shinobi of blue eyes cry for help as he was dragged away in chakra sealing cuffs by two jonin. His feet dragged on the ground and kicked about to find some hope by latching onto a door way or even a pole. No one lifted a finger...

Especially her own... for the good of the mission. The mission he never knew about...

"I guess I'm scum, eh Kakashi?" the kunoichi half-heartedly chuckled to herself. Her hands ghosted to the hem of her hood and drawn the fabric over her head, and a hand dug into her pocket to retrieve a small scroll; it was opened with a mere flick of the wrist.

"GAH! WHAT THE HELL!" Every eye stopped and turned to see one of the goons now sporting something metallic jutting out of his hand while blood flow freely from it. Others soon joined the first's fate as their own hands or even limbs became cushions for thrown weaponry shaped like pointed stars. In this confusion, the one holding the stiletto knife was caught off guard by a block of wood that decked her followed by a blow to her stomach, lastly a strike hitting her back that sent her crashing into the ground with nothing but a groan in return.

The teenagers gawked when they watched a hooded figure in jeans twirl what appeared to be a scroll in one hand and a bar of wood, capped in small white cloth on both ends clutching tightly to the ends as properly taut canvas over a crate on a truck, that was gripped tightly in the other hand by an apparent bandaged handle. The scroll bearing hand jerked to the side in reaction of the goons grabbing what weapons they could with their maimed appendages all the while cursing her with the vulgarity only the harmed would utter without remorse, the scroll itself opened up and unleashed a new wave of the edged stars; outside, the roar of an engine leaked through the ill-maintained walls followed by the screech of tires.

"Hey guys!" The heavy door slide open with a grunt on the opener's part. "Get ready! Those stupid little-"

The man, with greasy black hair slicked back with a few unruly spikes poking out of it, had darkened almost ashen skin with black tattoos reminiscent to jagged barbwire that encircled his bare arms. Garbing him was a black sleeveless muscle shirt, leather pants held up by a gray leather belt with steel studs and a steel circle buckle, and the boots of a motorcycle rider bearing the wear and tear of one. The only other articles of clothing on the man was a pair of black fingerless gloves that adorned his clenching hands as his eyes narrowed on the vigilante, with only a small flicker to the side to see a pair of kids retreating through a hole leading to the outside, that had apparently brought his allies low; a more hardier pair of his now maimed compatriots were being beaten into submission by, of all things, a tonfa with a martial artist's grace.

The roar of another motorcycle was the last straw as a snarl and a growl made it evident, if a drawn gun unleashing its payload wasn't evidence to that. Bullets met either the wall or fracturing wood as the assailant ducked and retreating from the also mobile hooligan who jumped and even ran past him wounded comrades without sparing a glance. His flight was only hastened to flee behind a standing set of stacked crates when an exploding disk flew at him and missed.

"I guess I don't have to ask if you're alright or not." Tenten turned her head to glance over at the speaker with her damaged tonfa held up defensively lest the biker tried to pepper her while she wasn't looking. From under her drawn hood, her eyes gaped as they recognized the person scowling at the scene before him. Robin, complete with him domino mask with white mesh over the eyes, his red vest with the black circle encasing a yellow capital R on the left breast, green pants, steel plated boots, black cape with the yellow inside, and lastly a yellow utility belt. Robin of the Teen Titans.

Behind him was another well known figure of Jump City: Raven, the ashen skinned Teen Titan in the deep blue cloak with the hood covering her head yet parted enough to reveal a black legless leotard, a series of dark, near black, red gemmed gold brooches acting as a belt and a clutching brooch for her cloak, and a pair of deep blue boots with black soles. She is also a member of the Teen Titans.

No words were sparred on their part, including Tenten, but the silence didn't stop the biker from announcing his order, "Get'em boys!"

The entirety of the damaged building was ablaze with the strangely mixed noise of bawling engines and the bay of hounds; crates were smashed in a stampede of the creatures that made such racket. The biker returned, cackling with demented glee as he rode atop one of many 'canines' that barreled over product and downed ally, if they were standing, alike in a frenzy to reach the trio. They had the heads of wolves, that much was as canine as it could get; their bodies were comparable to car engines though a tad leaner than one, their tails amounted to little more than decoration for they were pieces of rope nailed to their rears, and their legs were nothing more than pegs, pegs that moved with an unnatural grace and speed that gave the 'wolves' motion.

"I hope you don't mind but my Wrexers want to play!" the biker cried in manic glee as his 'wolves' charged through or leapt over crates with the biker in tow.

"You get out of here while you still can, we'll hold them off!" barked Robin as he armed himself with a collapsible bo-staff in one hand and a trio of discs in the other.

"It's going to get messy," Raven spoke in half-stated and agreed as balls of darkness glowed in her hands with a strange white outline that also outlined her covered hands.

"I appreciate the warning," the crisp ring of a sword being drawn deliberately snatched their attentions away from the 'wolves' that grew closer by the millisecond, "But I don't wish to stand on the sidelines when others need help any longer."

Even the greasy haired man gave the hooded teen a curious tilt of a brow as she stood there with a Japanese sword pointed towards them. "Open up, Muko." Everyone, save the hounds, gave a curious gawk as the sword instantly melted into a gelatinous blob that encompassed her hand and molded itself into a gauntlet while a thin stream of the liquid metal ran along the back of her arm, past her shoulder and onto her back, and reappear again as a silvery line that formed a symmetrical gauntlet on her free hand: the gauntlets were plated in segmented plates bound to her hands by an unseen force yet shined brilliantly as decorative scales made what light that befall them dance in a silvery sheen. Sitting in small bordered areas of plain metal were oval orbs of the same gelatin metal that was her sword seconds ago; three decorated each segmant save the back of her hands which bore four for each.

The hooded teen cracked her neck before her body flicker from sight. "Huh?" the biker grunted as he swiveled his head to gain a glimpse of her. The dying bay of his pets caught his attention. Off to the side the vigilante appeared and had already rent two of his creations while using the marauding horde as stepping stones to reach the rider; the Titans, after regaining their wits, went on their own assault on the now disorganized pack that split apart to deal with the gauntlet wearing teenager and to deal with them, while its leader busied himself in trying to free his lone armament instead of giving heed to his surroundings.

The man managed to draw his pistol at last as the hooded vigilante that demolished his crew kicked away a flying 'wolf.' He aimed then growled when the teenager disappeared again in the same flicker as before. He swerved to face the encroaching Titans as they ripped apart his pets with claws of energy and exploding disks coupled with strikes from the metallic staff, yet his gun was deprived of another chance to fire due to the sudden constriction of silvered steel chains that snaked around his person and stole him from his mount to midway up towards one of the rafters. A pair of feet slammed into his now slightly guarded back, the force however was hard enough for him to grunt, and a blade jutted into the corner of his eye... from the space that situated between his jaw and his neck.

"Call off the dogs, shut them down." The biker scoffed but gulped when the cool steel pressed against his throat. "_Now_."

A shrill, slightly halting whistle screeched through the hair. One by one the mechanical monstrosities halted, or collapsed in some cases, and a handful of eyes turned to see their enemy/leader, a man known by the name of Johnny Rancid, hanging in the air in a bundle of chains and on the receiving end of a chop to the back of the neck before he was eased down by the chains that sprouted from the gauntlets worn by the hooded teen; she did nothing however to keep him from landing face first on the cement when the chains unraveled and liquefied to a returning stream to the gauntlets that turned into a wakizashi with a unique hand guard.

Tenten expelled a small breath of air as she holstered her sword once more from atop the rafter that aided her in coercion of Rancid. It wasn't a sigh, nor did it bear any negative emotion. She felt relieved, as if some part of the tension that had been built inside had been released. Even a few thoughts crept in as a lazy turn of the head gave her a view of the Teen Titans staring right back at her; in her drifting gaze a glance was enough to discern that one of the crates, smashed open by the 'wolves,' had Kevlar armor for its contents.

She gave them a curt nod before nonchalantly walking along the beam to reach the hole that was her entrance and leaping out of it.

From the ground floor, whispers glided past the hole bearing walls with a sharp clearness to Robin. "Man that was so cool! Do you think she's a ninja?"

"Yeah! Do you think she'll come to save us again if we get into trouble in the other warehouses?"

"Yeah... as long as mom and dad don't find out we're at the pier again."

"Yeah..." The gulp rung out clearly from the kid from the other side of the wall. "Maybe we should head home now... just incase..."

"Raven." The female Titan nodded at the unspoken request while Robin dashed out the open door, after sparing the wounded, but not dead, lot that was Johnny's gang a glance as a reference.

Ally or enemy, the former if he can get testimony, there was a new kid in town.

**A/N: From now on all chapters will be 7K (one K is equal to a thousand) or more words and that's not including the notes!**

**The previous stories however will still be favored, ****_Snake Sisters_****, ****_Good Morning_****, and ****_Turbulent Cyborg_**** not included.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and again as I said in this chapter and previous ones- I own nothing and this story is meant for entertainment only. I'm just adding a little spirit in this rendition! Also again, I use Google translator so your complaints about translation will be ignored!**

**_Spoiler:_**** Naruto is not sticking with the name of Yūrei.**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	4. Steps to a change, part 2

**I do not own Naruto, Teen Titans, nor any other element that may or may not appear in this story! This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

**To everyone: Mildly surprised that the first question to date is the over the fact only one eye is visible on Naruto... That's all I have to say for I am evil like that.**

**To Olinn: While I respect your opinion, I will say that I am not removing that part nor altering it.**

Silent as the...

Chapter 2: Steps to a change, part 2

Titans Tower, One-pm 

"Damn it, I was hoping something like this wouldn't happen."

Every klaxon, every alarm, and even the alarm clocks for good measure had gone off to alert the residents of the Teen Titans tower be they inside or out. The reason as to what set them off was as simple as it could get for a resident group of heroes who were no strangers to the abnormal. Super-villains on the rampage, armed and hostile robberies, and every now and then-

"Holy... we're going to need _allot_ of weed killer for that thing..."

Giant monsters. More specifically a giant plant monster ravaging a quarry with no discrimination between the workers, the equipment, and the very ground it was planted in alongside the walls and the earthen ramps. The feature the creature was most akin to was a torso with the appropriate features such as a head and limbs, whether or not it had legs or not could only be answered if it was uprooted from its spot. Yet there were other features to note that kept it as inhumane as it could be outside the more obvious factors such as size, aggression , dark green plant-like skin, and shining ruby eyes with no iris:

Instead of one head there lay three, all joined at a base that would be the back of the skull for the middle head. Each head held a colossal eye, or at least an oval orb to represent the visual organ. Each head, with an elongated canine snout, bore pristine teeth of a carnivore in sets of three from what the live video feed could spy when one of the heads swerved with an open maw. The same red orbs that were its eyes, functional or not, also seemed to have grown out of its chest, back, shoulders, and even in the palms of its gnarled root-like hands given a darker tone than the rest of the body. Spikes bearing the same color as its skin, each thicker than its own fingers, were present on its shoulders where it formed a protective ring around the joint and a semi circle part way down the arm; both sets of spikes bordered the orb on its respective shoulder. Another ring of the spikes formed a protective wall around the orb in its chest and back, yet was still vulnerable to a more range attack.

"I agree with Beast Boy, we will need much of the killer of weeds."

Though no one actually saw it, Robin's brow twitched in agitation as he struggled between the choices of defending the city and maintaining cover regarding their undercover teammate...

He sighed as he nearly hung his head in defeat as he reached a decision. "Is the copy ready to go Beast Boy?"

"BOO YEAH!" Robin groaned as he screwed his eyes shut.

"You know it is!"

"BOOY YEAH! BOO YEAH!" screamed an African-American whose organic remnants were the majority of his face, minus his left eye, cranium, and chin, as well as small bands of flesh sitting in the space between his enlarged shoulders and forearms. Cyborg in his true form, or rather a duplicate and stand in for the real one.

"Will you knock that off?" Robin groaned.

"BOO YEAH!"

Before another button was smashed with childish glee, the hands wrapped around a game station controller were frozen in an orb of black that outlined all that was trapped. "Aw..." A green skinned teenager with fern green hair groaned in disappointment. His ears were pointed and for a his clothing he wore a black jumpsuit with a purple vertical bar that run from beneath his neck and barely touching the edge of his shoulders and ended just past his hips as they crept down to his legs. He had on gray gloves with a light sheen to them with a black stripe on the back of each hand. Boots garbing his feet were in the same purple as his outfit, yet the tongues of his footwear as well as the soles held the same quality as his gloves. The only other feature present on him was a small utility belt with a circle buckle.

"Please friend Beast Boy, there are people in danger," chided an bright orange skinned teenage girl with well kept fiery red hair that slide past her shoulders. The sclera of her eyes were the same green as her companion's skin, her irises however were much darker shade. The eyebrows that would usually be accompanied with any eye were the shape of comma's, let alone the appropriate size of such on a humanoid body. The majority of her clothing, being a mini-skirt, tank top that exposed her midriff, and thigh high boots, was in the same type of purple as her companion with the mild exception of her armor plates guarding just below her neck which encompassed her body, her hands save for her fingers and palms, and a small band attached beneath her right shoulder; a small black jewel adorned the armored collar, and the back of each hand. A metallic lining much like her armor plates trimmed her garments.

"Starfire's right, let's move out!"

"Alright, just let me punch in the coordinates-" He had no chance to finish his statement when the clone of Cyborg sprung to life by the commands of the controller that enabled it to move and charged out of the room and straight through a closed door without any obstruction or any distinction of such on the copy's part. "BOO YEAH!"

Beast Boy gawked with a gaping jaw before recovering with a hand scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "I did not see that coming," he defend himself with a slight chuckle.

None were amused.

XVX

Outside

"BOO YEAH!" That was the only noise to arise after the sudden crashing through yet another door of the tower, the front door to be precise in this case. The two combined was certainly enough to draw the curious gape of Naruto as he sat in the shadow of one of the many crags of the island.

"Was I wrong?" Naruto wondered to himself. His gaze turned to a chasing pair of two other familiar figures of the Titans, Beast Boy and Starfire with the former being given the equivalent of a piggy back ride as the latter flew after their wayward friend. "Friend Beast Boy, please make the copy of friend Cyborg stop before he runs through another door!"

The plea was replied with a cry from the shifter. "I'm trying!"

The former shinobi of the Leaf Village tilted his head as a new conclusion was reached. A double. Clever, it would certainly lower suspicions if the team had to deploy in force. The Blue eye of the skull wearing thief however narrowed when a portal raised from the ground to produce Robin on his motorcycle; the mere glance from the teenager was enough for him to draw a hidden remote from his belt and reveal a heavy duty back up door to take the place, and apparently obliterate by crushing, of the ruined door. The blond merely shook his head as he gave his surroundings a final glance before he left the sanctuary that was his hiding place. No worries assailed his psyche, nor in the way he moved at a leisurely pace.

No matter what, even the most well built of forts had more entrances than the front door either by design... or by force if need be.

XVX

GoldStar Quarry, Jump City outskirts, twenty minutes later

Sēji sighed as he nearly melted into his lawn chair out of boredom from a nearby wooded hilltop overlooking the open pit. The only thing worth any amount of interest for him was to watch his creation tear into the now nearly deserted quarry and that had gotten old fast with no real challenge to hamper it from either the fear driven miners or even some kind of law enforcement let alone his contracted targets.

"Perhaps I choose an ill-suited spot," he idly mused aloud with his fingers forming a steeple in thought.

Ever so feint by the virtue of distance, the sheer volume of what came out of the blue was enough to startled Sēji Muyomora into nearly jumping out of his chair.

"BOO YEAH!"

A nerve charged head swiveled to spy the more metallic member of the Teen titans charging along the only road to the quarry with two of his comrades following closely behind with the green skinned one seemingly riding atop his fellow Titan while he mashed a controller for a gaming platform between two thumbs. Even from a distance he could tell they were having some kind of conversation, but the words were lost to him unlike the one they followed, further tailed by a moderately high flying sorceress and a red motorcycle riding biker.

"Seems I was worrying over nothing," Sēji further mused as he settled himself back into his expendable chair and observed his homegrown monstrosity turn its ire to the new comers heralded by a "BOO YEAH!" and a series of attacks between explosive disks and bolts of energy.

XVX

Meanwhile, Refreshing Spring Café, Jump City proper

It seemed that the fates were being kind to her, or at least that was the conclusion drawn in the mind of Tenten as she sipped away at a cup of herbal tea as she sat at a wired table; the drink was too commercial to be particularly good but enough to be acceptable. Her team wasn't made aware of what had happened in the sea bearing half of where there hideout was located and she said not a syllable to hint of such. She was given the day off from the constant albeit subtle hunt for Naruto, years of experience and training gave no inkling she was being followed by anyone from the pursuit team. But the most viable clue to her conclusion came in the form of an abandoned crate.

She had went back to the warehouse, out of boredom or mild curiosity she knew not which. She had stayed close enough during the previous evening to spy on several trucks from the Police force come and took away the Kevlar armor and weaponry that were tucked away in a number of the crates; only with the opening of some of these crates outside the confines of the storage facility made light of this fact. Yet when she had entered the warehouse she had found one crate left behind, neglected under a buildup of cracked wooden planks that only her trained eye could find what lay under the grouping. As to how this crate, filled with adjustable Kevlar armor, came to escape the clutches of the JCPD (Jump City Police Department) she could only guess as neglect from a busy mind or incompetence.

Needless to say she had taken to dressing up in the protective garments for the curiosity of it as well as to entertain a growing notion that refused to be stowed in the back of her mind. She even tested its ability to protect the wearer after making a few tweaks with repair seals. The results were pleasing as far as thrown un-augmented kunai were concerned, but overall it was much like her flak jacket at any given time no matter which body part was being guarded upon other attacks; how well it stood up against bullets and the like have yet to be discovered firsthand.

After spending over three hours in her tests, she ultimately had no other task to which she could busy herself with. It was still too early in the day to practice blows and defense in the shadows of the pier, she had no training regiment to perform in a secluded space which she upheld in peace without risk of being drawn back to the hideout for one reason or another by her own will or another's, and she wasn't terribly obsessed with her new set of armor to go over it till her eyes demanded rest. So she had to rely on the only thing that could matter in such a situation, a wandering pair of feet with no direction. It was do to those feet that she now sipping a cup of tea in a café she had yet to visit before; a café stocked with a T.V. showcasing the latest breaking news.

"No one is sure where it came from nor has anyone or group had claimed the credit for the act, but a colossal creature of plant-like origin seemingly appeared out of nowhere and is currently terrorizing the quarry owned by the GoldStar Corporation. Most of the workers have vacated the premises by close to a quarter remain trapped in the tunnels or what onsite offices that are still standing if nowhere else..."

Chocolate brown eyes swerved to the screen, only taking idle note she was not alone in that matter as other heads turned, in time to witness an image of the most recent menace to Jump City's surroundings; from the angle and the movement involved, it was most likely a helicopter that braved the air to gain this scene. They narrowed suspiciously as they saw a gargantuan creature rampaging in one spot while beams of blue ringed with white alongside black fielded objects and bolts, accompanied by green bolts, pelted the creature with an occasional explosion as a result; yet the creature still raged as it snapped, clawed, and howled at its attackers. The newscaster only continued to narrate. "Unfortunately this is the only footage we have so far-" One of the giant's heads managed to pivot itself to stare at the helicopter before its entire body became paralyzed for reasons unknown... till the head that locked onto the helicopter spat out a gelatinous jade green stream from its mouth. "Since," the newscaster continued, "the airspace had been declared a no fly zone since the near miss of cameraman John Smith and copter pilot Herald Don in the Channel Five news copter. All that is confirmed at this moment is that the Teen Titans are on at the scene and are still battling this recent threat."

The image on the screen switched over to a Latino woman in her early twenties whose painted red lips moved on their own accord yet no word was heard. As was the case for the surroundings of Tenten Bell as others commented or continued with their daily life as whatever noise only approached the deaf ears of the kunoichi; a mind let loose in wonder as queries were given, hypotheses were formed, and decisions laid bare.

Was this the work of Muyomora? Possibly, yet this world held host to many others capable of replicating his works through botanical science, such as the acts performed by the more noted persona known as Poison Ivy of Gotham. Unfortunately she wasn't the _only_ one to have been known to use nature itself as a weapon or defense as minor heroes and villains of little importance and skill have proven here and there; scientists backed by underground or even known organizations, often on par with Orochimaru in intellect and cruelty as a whole or a select few, would find it child's play to make a savage creature acting on instinct alone that only needed to be... planted as the case appears to be.

Even _if_ it was the handiwork of Sēji Muyomora who had created this creature for reasons unknown, for the time being at least, then would her team react to it? On one hand she was inclined to say no for that would force them into broad daylight and there was no absolute guarantee that the arms dealer, former or not, was even within a mile of the creature... let alone if he is or was in any shape or form of contact with Naruto. It was certainly not their job to hero because people are in danger. On the other hand stood the chance of that gamble paying off with the ultimate prize of their target's whereabouts revealed or given a clue... that's _if_ the jonin believe they should deploy and engage with or without her.

The possibility of encountering them was the only reason she remained rooted to her current spot. Her brown eyes gave her surroundings a glance as a part of her tried to motivate and enflame a passion born yesterday in her admittedly one sided fight against the biker gang and Johnny Rancid. A passion, to which even she knew, was fueled with regret of what should have been.

A lone hand balled to a fist.

There was also a question in need of answering in the mind of Tenten Bell...

XVX

"Vault", Titans Tower

A scoff threatened to escape Naruto as he slipped into the room hoarding the motley collection of armaments and mementos of battles and victories past; the air vents were only gave credence of the front door wasn't the only point of entry. An emergency tunnel also saw to that sentiment.

Mechanical sentries were evaded. Cameras were dodged. Traps became detected. Trip wires never sounded the alarm.

It was too easy.

"Of course," as a tempered mind thought, "they have yet to deal with a proper shinobi..."

An idle blue eye took minute note of the gallery of confiscated weaponry, gadgets, and curios as equally idle feet passed them by as they headed to the only logical place to hide what could be the most dangerous item of the standing collection, the back of the entire room. It took under a minute to accomplish the task only to be met with a blank wall that was the room's border. A hand reached forward and brushed away but a panel that blended seamlessly with the wall.

"Identification please," a synthesized woman's voice filtered through a speaker attached to a wall mounted hand and eye scanner. Naruto sighed as he dug into his utility belt and retrieved a disk-like object emblazoned with a solid dark green circle in the middle with a bold G centered in the middle; a finger groped an otherwise hidden switch along its back to force the decoration to flickered to the life of a TV beset by static.

"Huh? Holy-..." Gizmo's voice rang out of the device as his image finally became clear with the background no greater than a blacked out room. The communicator was quickly presented to the current obstacle of an otherwise smooth operation. "Huh... stopped by a crummy voice/hand combo. Let's see what bird boy and that gack-munching friend of his made for a security system." Multiple sharp appendages sprung from the confines of the disk that eagerly sought out the electronic identification system; wires came alive from the confines of the communicator.

XVX

GoldStar Quarry

The horticulture specialist sighed as he dismally observed the failing offensive against his berserk creature. The only real damage his giant suffered was a gaping hole in the right head's set of teeth and the partial maiming of the upper left section of the thorn barricade guarding the crimson orb on the chest, everything else only served to garner its instant wrath.

"I called it," he murmured to himself. "No real challenge from a bunch of kids." He leaned back into his chair with heavy eyes and deliberately deaf ears to the sounds of battle bellow. It was all but prophesized that the Teen Titans would lose to his creation given the lack of harm done to even the most vulnerable of spots. What obvious damage that was done came from the fruition of combined assaults in a rescue of their orange-skinned friend when she was entrapped in the right head's maw and a half failed attempt to strike at the center orb decorating its chest; not even the concussive force of the attack, though indirect, proven to be able to harm the flora monster in a significant manner.

It was dull as it was amusing to see them fail against what would be child's play in a land of killers.

"**_Screee_**_!_"

Deigning to look down, Sēji found his creation crippled with the severing of its left arm at the elbow. The blow was enough to cast what little caution it had to the wind as it sought retribution with a brawler's frenzied grace if such a person had a claw for a hand, and every head sought to disjoint themselves in some hope to snap up its assailants. Apart from that however, the botanist's interest was on a new face on the scene bearing gauntlets that glinted brilliantly in the light. Giving his enraged beast a glance, the man snarled as he was forced to remove his monocle to make use of a pair of binoculars to pry what visible knowledge that could be gained; more than one curse was muttered under his breath as he adjusted the settings for a more picturesque view.

Whoever it is that now fought beside the Titans was a hauntingly familiar by way of a memory with no specific face or name to identify it, the feeling was further cemented as this unknown ran along the torso of the enraged flora and weaved between wild strikes from the remaining claw. Admittedly it was closer to a montage of memories similar to one another more than anything in the mind of the arms dealer. Below and seemingly being ignored, the Titans combined their efforts to detach the beastly creature from its rooted place.

What monikers to properly identify the new face were scarce under what appeared to be a unitard protected by tightly strapped in generic looking body armor for the chest, legs, arms, and feet in what appeared to be a kelvar vest, shin guards, vambraces, and boots respectively. The head was garbed in a helmet, most likely of the same quality, that hid away the hair and further augmented with a single panel of goggles. Laying underneath the pair was a plain cloth mask that kept the mouth from prying eyes. The entire ensemble was black, the only color that took the eye away from it was the pair of metallic gloves that formed a pair of hooks starting at both wrists that only shot out when the vigilante was forced to jump off of the gargantuan plant.

His hazel eyes narrowed in suspicious glee when a pair of the hooks melted away to a shield that blocked a glancing blow from a passing claw.

XVX

Two minutes earlier

"Dude! This thing is tough!" Beast Boy cried before forcing himself into a bird to deftly dodge a blood seeking swipe.

"BOO YEAH!"

"At least we know Cyborg's double can stand on its own..."

"Starfire, see if you can distract it long enough for us to take another shot at that core on its chest!"

"Right!" Without another word given, Starfire flew off and skimmed along the skin of its left arm during which her green skinned teammate, after returning to human form, retrieved a the only means to control the cybernetic copy.

"Now!"

Outlying mining dregs were coated in glowing black cloaks and hurled at ludicrous speeds, disks of an explosive nature whipped towards the crimson centerpiece, and a sonic wave converged on a single point. Unfortunately it was a passing arm as the giant single mindedly pursued its current antagonist that pelted it with green bolts by the dozen.

"Did it even feel that?" Beast Boy questioned a bit heatedly with a lacing of worry. Scowling, Robin ripped his communicator from his belt and brought it to his mouth. "Starfire, get out of there!" That was all he barked before his gaze, focused on the behemoth, swiveled to a figure that instantaneously appeared on the creature's left shoulder and barreled down its limb toward the equivalent of an elbow, and towards Starfire in her own escape.

The figure, garbed in kevlar and brilliantly shining gauntlets, all but flew past the tamaranean yet not so fast as to keep a near invisible nod to follow from being seen by the teenage alien. Between her more trusting nature and the given nature of the situation, she followed without question to the rising and bending limb that tried to box them in for its counter part's hand to follow them.

Jerking to the right, the vigilante clanged both gauntlets together before tossing the left one out. Gelatinous silvery metal sprouted to life and formed a bar with a handle at the end. A notable jerk of the head was enough to confirm the instant suspicion that formed in the mind of the tamaranean; a pair of bright orange hands grabbed the handle of the _blade_.

The weapon of choice was as simple as came be for its given purpose if the approaching conjunction was an indication, and slightly curious green eyes darted to the blade as a mysterious blue substance now coated the edge of the charging blade. No question was asked as the purpose became hinted when metal met living flora.

There was no resistance.

Two teenagers and an arm fell, the former wasting no time to regroup with the gawking Titans while the giant made its newfound rage known.

"**_Screee!_**"

Its remaining hand pounded the ground viciously in a sore attempt to alleviate its anger and pain in one strike. Two strikes. Three... no one kept count as it continued to hammer the ground as all three heads snarled and bellowed; all eye under its command stared in pure hatred at the ones responsible, even the ones whose guilt was by association.

"That thing derives its power from what nutrients are available in the immediate area. Target its stem, I'll go distract it." The feminine, unmasked voice was the only indicator of who was underneath the kevlar... to those unfamiliar with the peculiar design of the gauntlets at least.

"Hey, wait!" Robin called out, but it was too late as the vigilante leapt away, dodged an incoming claw, and quickly scaled the enraged hulk of a plant. Gears quickly shifted from concern to duty.

"You heard her, target the stem!"

XVX

"Vault," Titans Tower

"Only two layers of defense. How stupid are they?" The first line of defense had long since been hacked. Only a vault door, stylized with a skull hovering above a red X, protected the sought after prize. If the schematics were to be believed at least. It only took the finding of and raising of a podium essential to opening the vault to ensure the likewise bypass of what would undoubtedly be another security system.

"Gizmo, what are you doing?" Apparantly Jinx entered the same room as the miniature genius.

"Huh?" The communicator came to a brief standstill before returning to the task of hacking the electronic lock. "I'm working here slug-face!"

A smirk played on Naruto's lips as a very audible _thunk_ rang through the link which was quickly followed by an equally loud "ow!"

"Oh, hacking something remotely eh?" Jinx asked for the sake of the question. "Wait a minute..."

Another communicator came rang with life and was retrieved. It was a HIVE communicator styled the standard hexagonal pattern of its make. Jinx's image became present on the diminutive screen, staring blankly at the shinobi.

"You actually managed to break into the Tower without setting off an alarm." No answer was needed for the comment...

"Do you think you could steal one of Robin's masks as a souvenir for me please?" she suddenly asked with a cute smile and adorable puppy eyes.

A moment of awkward silence ensued for both ends of the communicator before a reply finally came. "Bye Jinx." The screen went dead on the HIVE communicator, but Gizmo's proved sufficient enough to catch an indignant "hey!"

And Gizmo's raucous laughter.

XVX

GoldStar Quarry

Even though severely weakened as a result from being uprooted, the one armed monster continued to seek vengeance by crawling on its version of a stomach with its remaining arm at a weakening pace. Each failed swipe expired what remaining strength it did have exponentially. However, despite any sense of self preservation, this did not stop the bloodthirsty weed as it continued to hunt for its prey. Nor did it stop its own seizing of its body, its middle head locked onto a small gathering of its assailants.

No targets dared stay in the indicative attack of projectile ooze that only caught dirt and stranded mining equipment. The creature did not so much as grown as it rested on the dirt without an errant twitch to its name to be given. Even the red orbs for eyes seemed to lose luster and deflate by a miniscule margin under the observation of a pair of glass encased chocolate eyes.

"Hey." Though nonaggressive in nature, nor demanding of anything more than to earn her attention, Tenten snapped her head to Robin who offered her a handshake. "Thanks for the assistance. We-"

A sharp whistle cried through the air much to everyone's confusion, save for one at least whose ears were honed by years of experience and even warfare. It was obviously too slow moving to be a bullet, all but the most inhuman of ears couldn't detect the sound of wind resistance on a fast moving object comparable to a bullet from any sort of gun. Besides, she knew thrown weaponry. She was a master of thrown weaponry. That sound, that whistling, was coming from a kunai hurled at the peak of a shinobi's strength and skill. And it wasn't alone.

"DUCK!" A body armored in kevlar tackled the boy wonder to the ground, an act that only ended in embarrassment to find a black dome barrier surrounding them from the possibility of being skewered. It took the deflected bounce of but a handful of kunai however that the vigilante's reason for worry was not unfounded.

Two sets of kunai landed past the Teen Titans. Some landed on the ground at an angle, their grips garbed in several violently swaying pitchers befitting of their transport, and let loose a fine mist of airborne clouds of a dull green. A differing set of kunai, armed with miniature compartments in lieu of the diminutive equivalent of open jars, landed in a more horizontal angle on the corpse of the fallen foliage giant. By the will of a spring loaded mechanism, their cargo of seeds were launched into the air and through the mist before they landed on the ground with jittery jumps that never ceased beyond the first bounce.

"Crap," Tenten muttered as she got to her feet, Robin following closely after with a little aid from the kunoichi from inside the still erect barrier.

"Huh, I don't see what's so danger-" Beast Boy started. In a rapid succession the seeds grew to thick vines that dug into the ground to pile up upon themselves and form a humanoid figure composed of vines and nothing more with the use of a seed per figure. "Oh..." Even with the barrier in place, the small army of plant-men charged and wailed on the barrier in a futile attempt to force their way through.

They weren't the only threat however.

Thin but flexible vines tore through the earth underneath them, yet only the legs of Tenten Bell were assaulted by a vice grip which then pulled her under with a scream. A few feet away the shocked kunoichi reappeared, still tangled in the confines of the vines, and tossed away to the forests with an audible snap of a whip by a similar vine creature reminiscent to an onion yet armed with dozens if not hundreds of vines as its means of offense.

Gritting his teeth, Robin held much of the snarl that crept through his orders as he grabbed a collapsible bo-staff. "Starfire, Raven, you go see if she needs help. We'll handle the weeds here!"

Meanwhile, a set of flying hooks ripped into tree bark, the chains attached to them swinging ferociously as their mistress swung herself to a more safe landing atop a branch.

"So tell me..." The kunocihi rose only to crouch in a twirl to face the direction of the sudden speaker. From her original direction upon landing, he was at the seven o' clock position on a higher branch. A fierce growl threatened to escape from the deliberately choked throat of Tenten as the final nail of her suspicions was hammered into place for above her stood a rather disinterested arms dealer leaning against the tree, with both gloves off, taking his time to clean his nails with a nail file. "How many managed to slip through that portal before it closed off? I was under the impression that it was one of those deals where the conjurer had to be present in order to keep it open," he continued; he fanned out his fingers for an inspection, twisting them to and fro for a different point of view.

"Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about." Even from her position, she saw the surrounding plant-life rise out from their natural camouflaged spots to reveal their mutations; vines arose with barbed thorns ranging from a green more natural to their origin to a poisonous red that even secreted a viscous liquid that darkened the altered flora. Only a handful gathered and stood at the ready while the others were sent to dispatch the approaching figures of Starfire and Raven.

"Normally I would entertain the notion of lengthy banter before a fight," he blew on his fingers to brush away some unseen filth, "but today I believe it would be more prudent to air on the side of caution." Even without turning his head to give her a glance, Tenten could feel Sēji's gaze upon her.

"From the very way you move and the fact you could run along my creature with next to no worry is enough to prove your skills as a kunoichi." A sense of dread and apprehension filled the senses of the young woman beneath the arms dealer's spot as he continued regardless of confirmation or denial alongside the slightly garbled shouts and cries of Tenten's aid as they found themselves beset by the mutated plants. "A kunoichi from Konoha no less considering who was hot on our trail at the time. From the group that pursued us only five of them are women." Sēji nodded to himself in self satisfaction as a wicked grin slowly formed. "Considering you haven't made an effort to punch my pet down there and the fact that you have yet to charge with a punch rules you out as the pink haired one known as Sakura Haruno. Since you failed to see that surprise attack underneath that barrier, that rules you out as the Hyuga heiress as well. Now who does that leave?"

The blur of hand seals and the casting of an air bullet was enough to prompt him into jumping onto a new perch, with his back to her as if to, and most likely the exact goal of, mock her skills. "With the three remaining kunoichi of the pursuit team we have a genutsu master, a Yamanaka..." He turned to look past his shoulder with a deliberate slowness as well as a teeth bearing grin. "And a _weapons expert_." The kunoichi vanished in a swirl of leaves and reappeared directly above the man with axes in lieu of hands. It was deftly dodged with a sidestep, and a sequential round house kick from Tenten's newly mounted position was dodged with but a jump on the arms dealer's part to which he flipped in the air and landed on yet a higher branch; his grin, bearing down on her from above, never left him.

"Now since genjutsu specialists generally lack a real ability to fight against a limber opponent such as myself and the fact you having tried to fool the five basic senses of the body, you're not Kurenai Yuhi. Yamanaka... well," he chuckled slightly at some unknown jab known to only him, "let's say I can spot one a mile away. Now who does that _leave_?" he asked, though it was rhetorically to everyone's ears.

The axes melted away to the more normal gauntlet appearance as irritated eyes turned to the equally bothersome man. "So I ask you again, Tenten Bell, how many got just to chase us?" He didn't miss the slight quiver amongst the gelatin bearing slots in the armor. "Or did you all just come after Naruto Uzumaki?" The slight stiffening of his opponent was yet another note he picked up on with ease, yet it gave him a more sinister grin as he one visible eye, normally hidden under his hair, narrowed as it scrutinized the details... and a pair of barbed chains that came at him from beneath his current branch.

The man vanished without a trace yet another kick lashed out all the same to be caught by a now gloved hand. "I have to ask, is it really such a good idea to chase and dragged someone back when it's obvious they don't want to go back?" Sēji asked in a delighted fashion. Tenten kicked off and spun her foot in another kick while her chains vaporized and formed metallic whips that lashed out in their own swing; the vines on standby came to the aid of their master despite the lack of rightfully earned recognition. "You know it's kind of funny when you think about it. Didn't you're Uchiha perform an identical stunt but six years _before_ our dear little friend escaped?"

No reply was given by Tenten, her whips struggling against their organic counterparts as one snaked around the other and the inorganic started to mimic the organic. Her hands were free however.

"Really begs the question: did _you_ come here to bring back Naruto, or bring back a weapon? Or better yet: Are you facing me because I'm attacking a quarry, or because I could lead you to a certain blond?" the dealer taunted, his grin never faltering. At least until he spotted a particular T shaped hand seal...

XVX

"Azarath Metrion Zinothos!" Several vines came under the vicious assault of ephemeral blades of shadow and failed to outlive it.

"Graah!" Another set of the weeds were pulverized if not destroyed by starbolts hurled in rapid, anger fueled succession. "What could possibly make Earth's plants so... feral?" Starfire asked in a slight pant while warily eying her surroundings.

"I believe I know why." Starfire twisted her head to her friend, and followed an outstretched hand pointing at a man with oak hair, wearing a green pinstriped suit with both sleeves rolled back to reveal dull bronze arm guards punctuated with holes, landing on the ground in a roll while being pursued by their more recent comrade. Brows were raised when they didn't spot the gauntlets she became more known by.

The man ducked to the left, his arm bent horizontally with the guard facing downward, to avoid a chain following a blade as well as a mix of kunai and shuriken from above that hit nothing save for spores being deposited below. The pinstriped man jumped to incrdable heights to a tree branch, followed by the kevlar wearing kunoichi, whipped around to let loose a kunai, and jumped out of sight. The spores, upon landing, encouraged life to take root in rapidly growing leafy vines that congregated into three identical copies of the creature the Titans faced before, minus the extra heads and any form of eye.

"Let's go!" Starfire nodded and followed Raven in her charge, only to deviate to fly low and introduce a passing fist to the miniature copies of their earlier foe. All three failed to defend themselves let alone withstand the more freakish strength of the passing alien.

Ahead by a slight margin, Tenten relentlessly chased after Muyomora with an outstretched scroll in one hand and a raised gauntlet. "Does he have eyes in the back of his head?" she growled in the recesses of her mind. Her clone fared no better where she had failed. The man ducked and weaved between each projectile aimed at him while making use of what cover he could take advantage off in his flight; no blow from Tenten's clone had yet to land on the moving target and was forced to give the man space lest the spores he left behind him possess or grow vines to attack the clone when she wasn't looking let alone hinder said clone.

A glance behind her confirmed what she suspected, the Titans, or at least two of them, were in hot pursuit as well only to be stalled with the forced clean up of the spores that given life in the form of some kind of soldier or an attack plant.

"This is going nowhere..." she grumbled to herself as she stowed her scroll away in a hidden pocket, augmented with its own storage seals.

The sentiment seemed mutual to Raven as well with the conjuring of a shell surrounding the man in one of his mid-flight escapades. Tenten's clone however met a more ill fate by colliding with the ball of energy and dropping to the ground below. Starfire, being good natured as she is, swooped in and saved the clone before it hit the ground.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Raven coldly asked, having reached eye level with Sēji as he felt around his newfound prison with a displeased frown. To her confusion, the botanist slowly adopted a grin as he turned to the darker Titan with a hand a hand slipping into the folds of his suit to retrieve a note of some kind. Tenten paled as she recognized the kanji and the red bordering of the paper clutching between two fingers and a thumb.

The edge was set ablaze with a sudden influx of chakra and began to smolder. All that mattered now, in the face of the unknown that was Raven's strength regarding her barrier against a destructive force like an exploding tag, was the act. With a body colliding against her own, Raven's concentration broke and the man, still grinning as he held the note, fell to the ground below only for the bomb to go off in a blaze of glory.

Two sets of eyes gaped in horror, unbelieving of the fact that someone would rather choose death rather than life. The tamaranean even failed to notice the dispersal of the clone in her grasp as her mind filtered what had happened. Another set stared in their own disbelief, though the reasoning differed than the previous two.

It didn't make sense. Though he had the skills of a shinobi, Sēji Muyomora was a merchant through and through. In other words an ideal merchant doesn't favor sides nor particular actions, at least not the ones without some kind of benefit to them...

"Wait... he _has_ skills as a shinobi..." Tenten stated to herself as her mind went from there. Shinobi in general _always_ had a host of skills and most skills were directly related to chakra. If she were in Sēji's position...

She leapt to the projected area of the blast to hunt for evidence to her new formed theory. While bombs of any kind could indeed destroy just about everything that was caught in the blast radius, there was always some evidence of what was obliterated left behind. A foot bearing shinobi-style sandal sticking out of a bush was exactly, or at least close to, what she was looking for. Grabbing the sole of the sandal, the kunoichi twisted the article around to observe the severed foot itself.

"I knew it," she murmured the second she spotted slightly charred vines where muscle and bone should have been. As much as she wanted to, she knew that trying to chase Muyomora through a wooded area by herself was more of a task than fighting him thanks to Kakashi. If he had time to have prepare an emergency plant clone than who was to say he did not have the surrounding wood memorized like the back of his hand? Other than shadow clones, no clone consisting of a material body was formed in an instant that could take the place of the original without anyone noticing till the dust had settled. At the very least it indicated he had an escape route in mind before he was chased; _if_ he _was_ being chased at least and she fought a clone the entire time.

She shook her head in weary defeat as she half-heartedly tossed away the severed appendage. The sailing foot was caught by a orange hand.

"I don't know what 'the beef' is between you and this..." Starfire paused as she glances at the angled shoe in her clutch while struggling to find the right words. "Man," she continued, "but surely he is deserving of more respect." However minutely, Tenten did tilt her head at the emphasis and the slight alteration of the idiom.

"What you're holding there isn't the remnants of a human being, but the remnants of a plant sculpted to look like one to act in its master's stead. Take a look inside the sandal if you are not convinced." Tenten stretched out her arms and gave each an individual roll as her mind drifted to the future, or rather what to do in the coming days. The small gasp from the tamaranean didn't escape her however, nor the question from the Titan's companion.

"I take it you were tricked like this before?" Still stretching, Tenten craned her head to look at the titan and give her a curt nod.

"BOO YEAH!"

Tenten stifled a gasp as she jerked her body in an unnatural angle in a mid-stretch while two heads jerked towards a blurred white and blue figure that crashed through the surrounding brush only to disappear again in the same moment with Beast Boy following soon after to find Raven and Starfire staring at him, the former in mild annoyance while the latter in a more dazed fashion, and the kevlar wearing vigilante was staring at him from a tree branch; Starfire turned to where the kunoichi was only to jump slightly from her sudden disappearance. "Huh... Hi?" he offered with a toothy yet embarrassed grin.

"Is everyone alright?" Robin asked after crashing into the scene in a similar fashion as the previous two. His masked eyes focused on and narrowed upon the sighting of the severed foot. "Don't worry! It is not a foot! It is a plant made to look like a foot!" Starfire cheerily chimed as she waved the appendage look-alike in the air. "Aw sweet! I want to see!" In a near flash of a run that was in actuality a leap, Beast Boy was already next to Starfire to stare at the organic replica in fascination.

Meanwhile, a look from Raven was enough to ignite the Boy Wonder's curiosity where the 'foot' failed in comparison.

XVX

Rooftops, Jump City Proper, two-twenty-six pm

A boot lazily swung by itself while its unmasked owner dully stared at the world below. It was a common street beneath Naruto lined with stores to and from each corner, half of which catered to electronic-based shoppers. That was not what his gaze fell upon however.

He was people watching now that he had nothing better to do given that he had proven his own time table of seven days. Five to six days were to be spent to observe the Teen Titans and their environment to develop a effective route to sneak in, out, with any at all contingency paths to be used in the event he was discovered. Five to six days were to learn of attack patterns and battle orientated equipment not showcased by a known recording of the Teen Titans. Five to six days spent to not worry about stalkers trying to abduct him in his sleep or when he rounded a corner.

All those plans were obviously out the window between the diversion and calling for technical support by Gizmo; it took one day to have the suit bundled up in a scroll situated in a scroll case on his belt. What was he to do with the rest of the day?

"I take it you already had what fun you could derive from them," he stated aloud without averting his gaze from the people below, blissfully ignorant of the shinobi above.

"You could say that," Sēji hummed while emerging from the shadows of a roof access.

Only silence ensued between the two despite the sounds punctuating it by common life in a city.

"Six months and you're still just a chatterbox. You must talk the ears off everyone you meet now don't you?" he jested as he leisurely strolled to the edge of the roof to enjoy the same sights and sounds as the first occupant of the roof.

"You know," he started suddenly, "I learned a fairly interesting fact today." He turned to an unenthusiastic blond whom he noted was staring at one couple as they held hands during their walk. "We are not alone," he finally said as he held up the Vulcan hand sign. Naruto didn't bat an eye towards him.

"Tough crowd, tough crowd," Sēji grumbled as his hand returned to his side. He stared at the "talkative" shinobi before releasing a sigh in defeat as he went with the choice guaranteed to get a rise from his companion of the roof. "Your dear friend Tenten Bell came to the aid of the Teen Titans." The normal grin of the arms dealer returned to him when a bewildered blue eye snapped to his direction.

"And I must say, she's certainly taking a page or _two_ out of _your_ book."

XVX

Undisclosed location

It was a dimly lit room where the only source of light came from the numerous television screens depicting the Teen Titans in battles long since passed, and the center screen depicted the most recent battle to date between them and a colossal bloodthirsty weed.

"Earl Gray, madam," an aged man, shadowed by the one way light, announced respectfully as he poured a small amount of the beverage into a tea cup sitting on a stand.

Sitting next to it in an unmoving throne of blockish design, yet made of polished black marble, sat a young teenage woman whose colors were washed away by the blinding light. From the features made available one could tell she had an athletic build and wore casual yet elegant clothing suited for the rich. Possibly made of silk. They are simple straight legged pants, currently being creased as one leg sat comfortably on the other and a sleeveless tank top. Loafers, or at least in design, garbed her feet. Her hair, neatly combed, ran to her shoulders and covered her left eye.

She said nothing as she hooked a finger around the tea cup and brought the beverage to her lips. "Thank you," she quietly replied at last after a sip, all the while continuing to stare at nothing but the screens. More specifically, she stared at the Teen Titans during their struggles and victories.

"Seems like they cannot handle the likes of Mister Muyomora," she noted.

Her good eye flicked over to a live feed of the man as a stone faced acquaintance of his just left. "And here I thought you weren't a mercenary," she idly commented in rhetoric.

**A/N: To those who don't get it, the vulcan hand sign (Which belongs to the minds of Star Trek and usually associated with "Live long and prosper") was more of a double entendre than anything for the use of the word alien which in its older definition meant outsiders, foreigner, etc where it's essentially an apt description (in my view at least given that none of the Naruto cast are US citizens let alone from the same world) to everyone from the Naruto-verse.**

**An attempt to be clever on my part really... hoped you enjoyed it!**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds!**


	5. X, part 1

**I do not own Naruto, Teen Titans, nor any other element that may or may not appear in this story! This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

Silent as the...

Chapter 3: X, part 1

Common Room, Titan's Tower, two weeks later

A flurry of gloved fingers in a familiar setting flew across the keyboard with nothing more than air hindering its intended activity. On the screen before Robin sat a portfolio being finely tuned once more for the sake of the compulsive need to, a candid picture of a oak haired man smiling an exuberantly arrogant, mocking smile sat in the upper left corner of the digital document; at most the only thing in need of being corrected was small slights towards grammar and punctuation.

"So that's the guy that harassed you guys a couple of weeks ago?"

"Yep," Robin answered coolly without deigning to tear his gaze away for so much as a glance.

"Huh, no offense but he doesn't look that tough."

"How many times have you said that before?" Raven countered from afar.

"Heh... yeah..."

"And let us not forget friend Raven, while those smaller plants may not have posed much of a threat, if this Sēji Muyomora person had more time then surely he could have created another of those giants then I fear we would be kicking the bucket long before we had reunited."

"Oh! Oh! Or he could've made himself a clone army made out of plants!"

"Don't be ridiculous B."

"But it's true! We even have a foot made out of a plant kept in the preservation tank!"

Silence exuded throughout the room before it was broken in by Cyborg. "Oh this I got to see! Lead the way B-man!" The boy wonder didn't need to turn around to confirm they left the room, the thundering sound of two sets of dashing feet already confirmed that alongside the gentle hiss of the automatic door closing behind them.

"It's nice to have friend Cyborg back," Starfire sighed pleasantly from her spot in the kitchen. A noncommittal hum emanated from Raven as she sat on the couch with no greater concern than to turn the page of her book to read the passage that followed. No response was given from Robin's part, at least not one related to Starfire's near idle yet friendly sentiment; an unguided finger crushed one of the buttons with a finality to give live to a recorded event of the more recent past.

_(Flashback!)_

Go-Go Electronics! (Abandoned building), Jump City, seven days ago

It wasn't a building associate with criminal activity. It was merely an empty shell of a once hopeful business till the financial grim reaper came with improper investments as its' scythe. The building made of a warehouse and a corporate office into one only had leftover boxed crates, abandoned office equipment (for both paperwork and warehouse related duties), and the occasional forsaken chair left behind as dust covered mementos of what used to be an export business with no foreseeable repossession in sight.

"Man, places like these are kind of depressing," Beast Boy suddenly blurts out in a grumble. "I mean I can get people not coming back to some building that got wrecked in a fight and even going to those ruins are depressing in itself, but there's just something gloomier with places people just up and leave without ever coming back," he dully whined as he trudged through the small mishmash of abandoned equipment and cargo.

"I agree with you. It is most disheartening to learn of what others once looked up to only to find it a shadow of where a glory had once been," Starfire added with a remarkable, partially pitiful frown dominating her lips as she glance about. Her attention, alongside those with her, to the gloomy environment however was stolen when a faint, morose chuckle permeated the air. The sudden jerking of Robin's head was enough for the tamaranean to whip her attention to the Titan's leader and his apparent nod.

At an unspoken request, perhaps even his own initiative if the nod was unseen by him, Beast Boy shifted to that of a bloodhound and went to work with a few whiffs taken from the floor.

"I doubt you'll get my position that way." Wry amusement easily pervaded itself into the remark.

"She's up there," Raven lowly stated with an upturned finger pointing at a sedately swinging leg dangling from the rafters above that came to a halt as if it sensed the collective stares from below. It didn't remain still for long however.

The limb twisted in the obvious turning of its owner so open air and other rafters was what the kevlar wearing vigilante, minus her gauntlets, came to see before it switched to a rapidly ascending concrete floor. The Teen Titans, needless to say, were easily shocked with the sudden change from leisurely waiting to dropping from a second story rafter feet first; a giant squid's tentacles lurched forward, courtesy of Beast Boy, proceeded by only a startled squeak of.

A bubble conjured by the Dark Titan's power enveloped the falling kunoichi and quickly slowed her descent by the will of the Titan in question. From inside, it was obvious from the teenager's body posture that she was tired, yet amused. It persisted even when her feet safely touched the ground and her form laid bare as far as the protective bubble was concerned.

"I help you with a titanic flora monstrosity yet you worry when I decide to leap down to the ground?" she queried, rife with worn teasing mirth.

"Sorry," Raven replied as she lowered an outstretched hand. "You could say it's a force of habit."

"Uh, not to be rude," Beast Boy interrupted, "but couldn't you have told us whatever you wanted to tell us back there instead of making us wait? I just don't see why, unless-" Two dark green eyes widened in sudden revelation as certain facts came together in conclusion born only by an erratic mind. "Unless you're a spy!" he suddenly cried with a raised arm and finger.

"Think about it! The clothes! The moves! the secrecy in having us meet in an abandoned building! I bet she's a part of some super secret crack team of government trained ninjas with superpowers!" Without warning, he dove behind a nearby crate, erected a backdrop of an atypical secret lab, and a pair of hand puppets bearing a loose depiction of Tenten in her kevlar suit, complete with tinfoil '"gloves," and an even looser depiction of Sēji soon were presented before everyone. "And this plant guy was a apart of it too until he went _rogue_ to conquer the world and has to be brought down before it happens lest the world soon learns of the secret squad's existence!" The puppets soon lunged at each other in a mock fight only puppets could perform, with Beast Boy every known noise associated with martial art combat.

Respectively the performance only received confused, mildly interested at best, stares or was ignored in favor of groans and a heavy rubbing of the eyes to relieve the mounting frustration brought on by the sheer annoyance of Beast Boy's... 'ploy.' However all eyes, save for one set... two sets if Beast Boy was to be subtracted due to his antics, including the living and the pseudo-living (i.e. puppets) alike to the only person who was chuckling lowly at the scene who shook her head slowly in light, humored disbelief. Tenten paid them no mind as she turned around and quietly padded her way to an outlying crate, its function changed from container to an improvised chair as she sat herself on it.

"So where shall we begin?" she asked pleasantly with a tilt of her head which soon came to rest atop a pair of knuckles settling under her masked features.

A brief fight between puppets took place once more for the sake of a overexcited whim before they disappeared to places unknown to all save their puppeteer, in the mean time Robin had took the lead in both position and questioning. "Sorry for Beast Boy's... accusation-"

"Hey!"

"-but I do have to agree with him in regards of timing. Couldn't you have told us what you knew of this... scoundrel in the same day at least?" he asked, unabated by the green Titan's indignant shout.

A small amused, gentle snort escaped her as she shook her head minutely. "I have my reasons," she started, "and the most prominent of them at the time was our surroundings."

"Who you faced was a arms dealer by the name of Sēji Muyomora; a man who has... developed and heavily employed an ability to utilize flora he had either personally cultured or managed to mutate from his surroundings to suit his needs, desires, and whims as well as being regarded as a capable combatant in the event the fight comes to him. With his abilities and years of experience from actual combat and experimentation, I sincerely doubt what you could or would have learned from me in the forest would have been kept secret from him." A crisp frown adorned the Boy Wonder's lips, yet a accepting nod was given.

"Cool..." Beast Boy whispered slightly as he imagined what his life could be like if he had such an ability... all of which suited to his more vegan life style... and possibly a plant-made recliner for video gaming. His thoughts were not on par with the more darker thoughts of his companions as the concept of an everyday flower could be weaponized.

"Does he use some sort of serum for his methods? A mist sprayer?"

The vigilante's head tilted even further in thought before she corrected her head to a more natural setting. "I would imagine that with enough capital and the proper set up he could make such things. But no... at least not from my point of view. He can simply touch a plant to turn it into a floral weapon, a specially prepared concoction with lighter than air properties usually contained in a pair of punctuated arm plates which he often uses to encourage rapid growth, and in some cases, provided that he can concentrate heavily enough, he can use his own blood as a medium as I understand it."

"Whoa, talk about creepy... kind of reminds me of a movie I once saw actually..." Beast Boy let loose in a mutter.

"That is most distressing to hear," Starfire added in her own form of agreement with her friend. However the more serious of the two narrowed their eyes at the grave implication of caution should blood be spilt of the 'botanist's' part.

Robin's eyes however narrowed even further. "You said he was an arms dealer. What use could he have to attack a quarry with that... thing?"

Tenten gave no immediate answer as she considered the question. "Ultimately I don't know," she admitted. "I personally never even met the man till a few days ago and even so much of what I know was given to me by others as a precaution. Outside of business deals, all I can say that he often pursues whatever holds the most interest to him... perhaps he did it to test your skills against his own via representative if you will." She shook her head as if to rebuke that idea. "The only other explanation I can think of on the spot, provided that he had no quarrel with anyone at the quarry, was that he was paid to do it."

A scowl formed on the leader of the Titan's face before it returned to a more neutral frown once more. "Is there anything else you can tell us about him?"

"The only thing left worth mentioning is that he has a habit to deliberately taunt his enemies to provoke some sort of outraged action for his own amusement as well as to lure someone into a trap. He even once duped a teammate of mine to attack him only to douse him with a mind controlling pollen from a flower he altered." The trained and world wary eye of Tenten did not fail to see the more subtle tensing of Robin... in comparison to his teammates who favored their own form of shock and surprise at the sudden anecdote at Kiba Inuzuka's expense, regardless if he wasn't in the same dimension or not. Regardless of Kiba's circumstance, she even let loose a small chuckle at their expense. "I did say he could use flora to suit his whims, did I not?" she playfully admonished.

"Remind me not to go flower picking any time soon," Beast Boy grumbled, his dour spirits given a small rise when another giggle rose from the kunoichi.

With a small twist of her head, her goggles soon caught the light of the sun peering through the windows of the warehouse section of their meeting place. "Sorry, but I'm running out of time..." Without warning she leapt off the crate while asking only one question, "Do any of you have a camera?"

_(End Flashback!)_

The only other subject mildly capable of breaking Robin from the subject of Sēji Muyomora was unfortunately a subject that still had a connection with the supposed arms dealer, it was made even less fortunate when it was a fact that it was Beast Boy of all people to think of the theory first... who was normally ignored for is more crackpot theories that bordered between excited imagination to explain the otherwise unknown and outright lunacy for the lack of sense they held; whether Beast Boy spouted his ideas out of boredom or perhaps a need for attention, amongst other possible factors of course, was always a subject of debate for the Titans in general.

Yet Beast Boy's thought held the most sense in this situation: was Sēji and this unknown vigilante part of a secretive government operations team? It would certainly explain why he had never heard nor seen anything like what those two did, Poison Ivy falling just short of course in regards of the arms dealer. It would also explain the... incognito teenage girl's abilities between the unusual amount of shuriken collected on the scene, the reported strange use of an apparent scroll as a pair of foolhardy kids had described, and the fact that the only reason they now had a picture of Sēji Muyomora was due to the bizarre ability to cloak her appearance in the physical form of others that even extended to masking her voice to that of the original. She even went as far as to copy her looks to the Titans through the use of hand signs that, in all probability, were key to her powers. Beast Boy's theory was also the only thing that made sense when she declined an invitation to join the Teen Titans.

As well as the sense of conflict between duty and a wish to do the right thing made only evident, however faint, when she was asked about her reasoning to help them yet acted the way she does: "There are times when duty and doing what is right never coincide." A quote, she admitted, she had gotten from a friend. The only other indicator as to her troubles was that even under all her garments, all of that she had put on to hide her identity from the world at large, she seemed to have rapidly aged a decade older with that reply.

Of course a new question arose as he went over the details, was she alone in all this or were there others? Once again he had Beast Boy to thank for that... it would certainly help explain the all too short rendezvous which in itself could explain her need for a disguise; could she have been acting rogue? If she acting on her own, then was this Sēji Muyomora person at best a secondary concern?

Robin groaned and rubbed his eyes vigorously before switching to his temples in thought as old accusations of him over thinking things rose up from the depths of his mind once more. Even a few accusations where he was just as bad as Batman over possible threats and theories to such.

"I'm not even half his age," he grumbled.

XVX

Evidence Room

"Damn..." Cyborg muttered in awe at the near perfect replica of a human foot, encased in a sandal, with a small band of thick vines threatening to creep out of its severed top.

"You don't suppose that if we plant it, we can grow a plant-man do you?" Beast Boy asked suddenly as he poked the glass.

Silence ensued between the two for a brief moment, soon broken by the half robot of the pair. "You get the gardening supplies, I'll go talk to Robin!"

"YES!"

Then Murphy decided to strike in the form of a klaxon screaming the alarm of a crime in progress. "Just when things were getting good," Cyborg groaned in disappointment.

XVX

_(Flashback!)_

Gizmo's room, Dormitory, HIVE Academy, thirteen days ago

"I knew that bird-boy could get obsessive at times, but I didn't think he would go Captain Ahab to get one guy," Gizmo half growled.

"Pardon?"

"Captain Ahab, read Moby Dick sometime you plebian-"

"I was asking for the cause, not the name," Naruto tersely countered, earning a grumble from the diminutive genius.

"The slug-for-brains used _xenothium_ of all things to power this suit," Gizmo snarled as she poked and prodded the belt of the X-suit with a growing sense of trepidation that easily pervaded into his now slowed movements and more delicate use of the implements at his disposal in his bedroom/workshop, courtesy of high grades and the once golden status he and his friends once held before their defeat by the Titan's hands.

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with xenothium," Naruto stated dully.

A derisive snort emanated from the bald mechanic as he continued to dissect what he could from the suit's belt. "Xenothium ore, rare and highly unstable stuff. If it works right than a few ounces of the stuff can power a small town for a few months, maybe even a year and two months tops. If it destabilizes then that town goes bye-bye in seconds flat. The only safe way to dispose of it is to drained it of every ounce of power before you even _think_ about getting a hazmat team or something to take care of the remains. If your using them as a weapon however, like say a mega-sized death ray or the like then this is the go-to stuff right here if you consider the firepower and energy consumption for a freakin' thing like that... you won't even _need_ to call in hazmat to take care of the leftovers!"

Naruto tilted his head, though Gizmo had no direct way of knowing, in thought before straightening it. "Is it possible to convert it to another energy source? Say a more _natural_ energy source?" All movement stopped for Gizmo's part as he considered the idea...

He  
smirked as he realized something and turned to give the one-eyed blond a cocky smirk. "Heh, now why would a big bad ninja like you want with the X-suit?" If he had expected a rise from the shinobi, he failed to elicit one. Or rather he didn't receive an overly emotional one.

"I have a piqued intrigue that may or may not be helped with the suit if I could make use of it," Naruto stated calmly.

"Oh? Do tell!" Gizmo asked puckishly in interest with a matching grin. It quickly evaporated as the temperature in his room seemed to have cooled too noticeably for his tastes.

"Let us say it is a personal matter to me."

_(End Flashback!)_

Lexcorp warehouse, Jump City

The prototype had long since been made given that the suit itself couldn't be converted to use chakra, yet he wore the original all the same. The cape and all much to his regret, the fabric was an advantage that was waiting to be used. Not to mention too short for his tastes, especially if intimidation was the goal in mind for the suit if he was to be practical.

The choice to wear it wasn't without reason, for the prototype is to use chakra as opposed to any other energy source comparable to or even unlike its original's flaw and provided that it worked then there was only the matter of testing out its abilities. Was there a better path to learn if the systems were operating as they should? Perhaps. In the meantime however the X-suit was to be his base in testing the other's abilities as well as to have a more intimate understanding of how to operate his soon to be gear.

Then there was the matter of the remaining xenothium reserve left in the suit's belt that empowered its more special functions. As it stood, in the event it _ever_ destabilized, the destruction originating from the core of the belt itself was estimated to have a radius of four meters with that power that remained in the suit, whereas if the core was filled to the limit it would be closer to twenty meters. In short, he would sleep better at night knowing it was empty as empty can be.

Like testing, the only way to achieve results of his desire was to use the destructive force and exhaust it. And few ways are far better for a shinobi to test gear and waste unwanted energy than to pick a fight. Even fewer ways were better than to pick a fight than to take on those who at worse may suffer a few broken bones and wounded egos rather than those who had skills much like his at the core of it all.

Unfortunately breaking into the warehouse was an all too easy feat for him, and that was even including tripping the alarm on purpose. All he could do now was await the arrival of the Titans with nothing more than a xenothium powered suit and his thoughts in the only building that allegedly held a scanner for the aforementioned substance which he could steal either by a whim or, if necessary, as a tactic to force the Titans to fight again if the skirmish wasn't enough for his purposes.

In a way, as an idle mind perceived, it was godsend that the Teen Titans stormed the academy like they did but a day ago, it certainly saved him the trouble mapping out his leave. With the academy destroyed, the students scattered, and Brother Blood missing, he was free to do as he pleased with no undesired ramifications at all. At least not the ones of the immediate kind.

No one he knew and held some attachment too was to arrive and get in the way nor to come after him as an act of vengeance or duty be it for their own sake or another reason altogether.

He even remembered the event quite well as he was called in to act as a backup for the troika and Stone, aka Cyborg in holographic disguise, in the gymnasium. He never left his spot on the wall as the fight ensued between the HIVE and the Titans, including the robotic construct that acted in the real Cyborg's place. He watched Cyborg's duplicity towards his allies of the Titans, and in mere seconds of receiving the so called class project known as the Ion Amplifier, before turning on the students of HIVE. He even chuckled when the sonic blast from Cyborg, enhanced by the amplifier, was deflected by Blood's powers only to result in the beam colliding into the honeycombed decoration that was a part of the ceiling though how it resulted in the destruction of the academy was beyond him. Structural flaws perhaps? Or maybe the Ion Amplifier's power, coupled with Cybrog's sonic cannon, was drastically more powerful than intentioned? Maybe even latent explosives left behind by a disgruntled student or even faculty member, perhaps even a previously forgotten self destruct sequence built in hopes of crushing those who were successful against the powers that be at the time.

He slowly shook his head to clear his head of idle thoughts as he took to the rafters of the spacious room, marked by disorganized rows of boxes ranging from neat rows in tight packs to clutters with the largest forming something akin to a pyramid sitting at the very center of the room, and awaited for newly discovered visitors announced their presence by the clamor of feet following his unhidden entrance to the complex. Soon after in less than a minute the Titans appeared and split up to find him but seconds after.

"Now who's first?" he quietly wondered to himself as he individually eyed each with a mental note of their reputed abilities and general attitudes.

Beast Boy, shape shifter into animals both current age and prehistoric as well as certain insects. Able to change in a moment's notice and is quite literally armed to the teeth with the only limitations conceivable to his ability being the abilities his most current form can only comes with (i.e. a fly cannot bite an arm off and is easily crushed by a determined swat). Overall he is arguably the most powerful of the Titans or at least the most versatile, not to mention lethal. Or rather potentially given that his mentality... was all too similar his own but a few years ago; the only key differences between Beast Boy and a earlier Naruto being that Beast Boy favored bad jokes while Naruto himself was more devoted to successful pranks, and Naruto, by steep comparison, was trained to kill whereas Beast Boy was trained to follow the ethics of this world's concept of a superhero.

But knowing himself, Naruto had no qualms to labeled Beast Boy as the ace in the hole when push came to shove between his abilities and underdog status amongst the Teen Titans by an outsider's opinion. Incapacitating him early was certainly an objective to be mindful of.

Cyborg, the technological powerhouse of the group. He was certainly not Gizmo by any means but that didn't mean he didn't have a trick or two up his sleeve given that mechanical bodies were more malleable than organic bodies. There was no telling if he had more than a sonic cannon in his arsenal. His time as Victor Stone certainly proven he was physically capable of handling more herculean tasks where three other members would be found wanting in that regard. He wasn't terribly subtle however.

If anything, he was possibly the third one to be beaten if not the fourth.

Raven, the mystical Dark Titan. She was by no means a physical combatant as both videos and the learned eye could tell. Yet she was an opponent to be wary of nonetheless, being on the wrong end of genjutsu users much like Kurenai Yuhi and previously a team of Rain shinobi in the chunin exams drove home the point that the physical world was not the only danger to be wary of. Mysticism was a subject of its own with the seemingly ever shifting ability to bend to Raven's most current desire be it attacking, defending, or even restricting movement amongst other things if she so willed. Her only known weakness regarding her powers being that her mouth hand to be unobstructed at all times for them to work, even if she did not speak her enchantment to begin with for its use.

She came to a direly close first if not the secondary concern in who to defeat.

Robin, the leader and martial artist of the group. To another person of the Boy Wonder's caliber he would be a threat at worst or an annoyance at best when compared to more experience fighters such as Robin's mentor and partner, Batman. To a shinobi, he could only be considered a threat if he had the ability to use jutsu if the shinobi was battle hardened- there was however room to surprise others given Robin's habit to carry a multitude of equipment for varying purposes much like the man who trained him. Being serious to a fault, inventive though at times worrying at the X-suit had proven, and disciplined certainly didn't make him less of a obstacle.

But compared to his comrades, Naruto wagered fifth of the more immediate concerns in the upcoming fight.

Last but not least there was Starfire, a veritable 'superwoman' as far as the team was concerned. Superior strength that put Cyborg to shame where her other teammates weren't even worth mentioning. The ability of flight. Seemingly indestructible skin and body structure. And she was able to hurl bolts of green energy with enough force to destroy a wall if she so wished.

The one-eyed blond, masked by the skull imaged helmet with a red X sitting on the forehead that had one line crossing over where his visible eye would normally be seen, cracked his neck and conjured a X-shaped shuriken into his right palm. Drawing back for only a moment, Naruto through the spinning dart to which it flew to his right before curving to the left and finding purchase on an outlying crate well away from anyone's view save his own. It held the desired effect he craved as Robin, soon followed by Starfire and from a distance Beast Boy paired with Cyborg. One didn't however as a body shifting in a narrow alley of boxes had proven to Naruto as his eye swerved to gaze the caught act.

He was spotted.

Raven, though squinting to get a better look at the trespasser as far as they were concerned, raised her hands regardless only to have the action startled when the figure that had caught her attention, by following the projected path of whatever had hit the crate that had caught her eye, had teleported right in front of her... an all too familiar figure bearing the red X of what felt like an age ago. Her ashen skinned paled as she recognized the one in front of her, or rather the suit Naruto had commandeered, and moved to shout in surprised warning with a small field of energy gathering at her hands.

A mischievous side to Naruto emerged as a small grin formed underneath the encasing helmet. "Boo," he whispered, his voice immediately synthesized to a gravely deep voice to avoid recognition, before lashing out at her solar plexus to force the wind out of her and side step but a second later to chop at her neck. Her only conscious command before she crumpled to the ground was to twitch at the deliberately haunting word.

"Huh?" Naruto jerked his head up to briefly stare at the turning form of Cyborg, who's girth blocked Beast Boy's own ability to see, and absconded to the rafters with no trace of him left behind other than his victim.

"Raven!" The Titans quickly regrouped at their fallen comrade in all haste while Naruto himself quietly reminded him of the functions he had just used. Since his infiltration he had used the Static X to overload the electronic security points, the teleportation ability, and the Shuriken X. But they weren't the only abilities the suit held and it was time to test at least two more.

"Is she alright?!" Robin demanded in just short of a yell, whatever answer he was to receive quickly ignored when his senses and years of experience detected an attack. He jumped back in time for a gelatinous object to strike at the air of where he once was, yet it didn't hit the ground. Instead of crashing into the ground, the X-shaped barely held goo suddenly sprung out in all of the pointed directions and latched onto a crate before constricting with its now weight load. The crashing boxes showered everything within reach in both splinters and debris, yet it was the shriek from Starfire that captivated everyone's attention as they turned to find her landing harshly on the ground with a pair of constraining Xs that held her arms and feet at bay.

Masked eyes widened in confusion and trepidation was facts clashed violently with one another regarding what should be and what was happening now. Immediately favoring action, after shaking what shock he could from his mind given the danger hiding in the shadows, Robin drew a trio of birdarangs and launched two of them at the projected area their attacker was.

"What is going on?!" Cyborg shouted as he armed himself with his signature weapon while maintaining his crouch over Raven to give her some protection, though his head was craned to peer over his shoulder. It came at the cost of Beast Boy's safety however to his more immediate regret when Beast Boy cried out in his own surprise with the anguish of a blow landing upon him. He swerved back to where Beast Boy stood only to find him about to plant his face, against his will, into Raven's vulnerable stomach. Cyborg lifted his head up in hopes of spotting the assailant only to find the faint wisp of a cloak leaving the edge of his peripheral vision.

Then the sudden "thunk" of a thick object hitting his back dominated his ears, and a shocked gasp left him when he was suddenly uplifted and found himself bouncing off what was presumably a beam, or at least halfway short of hitting the ceiling by his speedy reckoning despite the onset stress, shortly after whatever adhesive had struck him from behind. "Hey!" he shouted as he struggled to free himself, his sight frantically searching for the perpetrator amidst his jolted bouncing derived from his failing.

The third birdarang, held back for just this purpose, flew with the utmost surety at the advancing figure that leapt over the destroyed pile of wood and damaged gizmos. Unfortunately it was met with a red X as an interceptor to the former projectile and the crashing was met with a resounding _"clang!"_ During which, the green shape shifter's head landed roughly on the Dark Titan's stomach and roused her of her forced unconscious state with an "oof" and a growl. Her small flare of anger was swept away and her attention turned to the partially obscured view of Robin as he suffered his own successful attack that sent him crashing into the pile.

Everyone else, save for Robin himself, did the same in an effort to spot their attacker and were rewarded with the dreaded prediction of a phantom of their past reborn anew. "Who are you?" Robin growled as he leveled a masked glare at the one who bore his once disguise as he leapt over Starfire, who was still constrained by the X-themed bonds, and landed upon his hands only to flip forward to land more naturally on his feet with his back to them all.

"If you're asking for my real name, then I agree with V's paradox. But if you're asking for my alias," he turns around to boldly present his full visage to the titans to which he earn several gasps or the hitch of the breath, "then I believe you already have a name for me." With the barest twitch acting as his only warning for them, Naruto, otherwise Red X, flung several of his themed shuriken at the Titans only to witness them uselessly clatter against an erected field of shadows that outlined those before him in white lines. It wasn't enough to stop the teleportation function of his belt however.

The disguised blond vanished into thin air before them to reappear behind Raven, now standing, and ducked to avoid a flying rodent turned snake that came from the Dark Titan's shoulder before turning his back to a wall of crates with both arms outstretched to face his respective opponents. Both hands, with their X-covered palms, shot out a globule of different variants at once: a constricting X for Raven which covered her mouth, and an adhesive one for Beast Boy on both hunches and learned knowledge.

The upset and indignant muffled yell of Raven was to be expected, and the pleasant incapacitation of Beast Boy was made evident when he failed to free himself from the sticky, stretchy substance that entrapped him no matter the form that didn't equal an elephant in pure size and overall mass. Even then escape would still be difficult if Naruto were to guess.

Leaving them be, the latest Red X jumped to the top of the wall of crates in front of him and ran towards the left of his previous position. He was neither surprised nor phased to find Starfire, freed of her bonds, charging him from the air in direct parallel of the improvised walkway, and Cyborg was still stuck to the beam that held him prisoner with his choice of weaponry aimed at the burglar and waiting lest he hit Starfire by mistake. Curling into a ball, Naruto dodged Starfire by rolling under her and uncoiling himself to let loose a pair of flying Xs that were allowed a brief chase of the tamaranean when a small X gave chase to one of them; the size and lack of resistance for the smaller X permitted near instantaneous travel to reach its target. Twin explosions rocked the alien teenager and sent her tumbling into a wall.

The blond crunched down and spun out to reap the reward of knocking a pair of unsuspecting legs belonging to the Titan's leader out from under him; Robin didn't even spare a thought that he would be detected so soon beforehand. The harsh landing stunned him however, granting the shinobi enough time to jump on him and deliver a blow to the head. A grunt was all Robin gave before he laid limp on the substitute walkway, the former Naruto didn't care for as his attention turned to Cyborg who was awaiting the opportunity to open fire with a vengeance.

The former fully human growled when his friend's assailant disappeared in the accursed teleportation ability of the X-suit.

His aggravation only grew more obvious when a "thunk" similar to the first emanated from his cannon arm and forced the limb upwards as the other half of the adhesive X found purchase with the ceiling.

"Hey! Who said you can mess with my arm like that you jerk! I dare you to do that again!" Cyborg roared in full mounted fury... which was only made worse when a constricting X was place over his mouth and the sound of a pair of hands were dusting themselves off.

Naruto could only imagine what obscenities and curses Cyborg was spewing forth with no ear able to accurately hear him while he jumped away in a back flip; the crate that was his landing spot failed to support his sudden arrival much to his own irritation.

With Beast Boy literally stuck with his problem, Raven muted, Robin incapacitated, Cyborg trying to free his mouth as opposed to his arm to retaliate, and Starfire now hovering at her respective end of the warehouse with starbolts at the ready but held back as she considered her next move, Naruto was afforded to take what time he had to brush himself off and inspect the contents of the crate at his leisure. Surprisingly the only thing he found was only one item amongst the ruins of the wooden container: it looked to be a radar gun with a longer than normal tube that held nine holes, the majority of which circling around the center hole, at one end. If he were to guess at a time like this, then it was more than likely the rumored xenothium scanner.

He risked a glance at the battered Titans before him and flicking his palm, while grimacing in slight disgust upon the result, to will into existence three of the Xs. He threw them at the ground between him and they the moment he lunged for the scanner.

XVX

Titans Tower, Infirmary, forty-nine minutes later

With a groan, Robin awoke to partially fierce poking from a slender hand that held much familiarity to him that he had not the need to open his eyes to identify the one prodding him. "Can you stop that, Star?"

"Oh thank goodness you are the O K! We were afraid you were most harmed when the Red X knocked you out!" Starfire all but exclaimed in worry and relief upon Robin's awakening, yet the volume and her proximity was still enough for him to tiredly wince.

"What happened?" he croaked. His response was immediate... and passionate.

"WE GOT OUR BUTTS WHOOPED! THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED! WHEN I SEE HIM AGAIN I AM SO GOING TO POUND HIM INTO MUSH SO HARD THAT HE'S GOING TO FEEL IT IN THE PAST, FUTURE, AND ALTERNATE REALITIES OF HIM WILL FEEL!" Cyborg bellowed with the indignity, rage, and humiliation allotted from the skirmish.

"He even ruined my hair! It's going to take weeks for me to turn it back to my stylish dew!" Beast Boy cried from his spot.

"I had to ask..." Robin groaned.

XVX

Roof tops, Jump City

Naruto meticulously toyed with the newly acquired gadget at a novice's pace, he certainly had no motivating factors to egg him to act any quicker. Other than what had transpired less a complete hour ago, his discomfort lied with the vulnerability derived from being with the sword that was his companion in all this yet had to be left behind.

He had defeated the Titans much to his regret, though there was little surprise in that between his training and experiences if he was to give them any fairness. He certainly held no idea how much power his current supply of xenothium had but if luck favored him then he had at least half if not less than the last estimate. Lastly there was no telling how long it would take the group of 'hero's' to recover from their defeat.

He scoffed, its sound distorted by the synthesizer of his helmet. How he fervently wished to embody that word a little more than four years ago at this point, three years spent in prison while one spent with half belonging to his time in Konoha while the other was spent in this world. Even now a small part, a bruised and broken part, still craved that dream in the form of being Hokage. Yet even that small part of him viewed that incomplete. No path he could follow or forge at this point was.

They were all incomplete.

A smile rose from him bearing the warmth of sincerity of the world as his mind drifted to the one element that gave him peace.

"Just a little longer," he whispered to himself as his smile fading away significantly as his fingers brushed the controls with new authoritative life. "I won't break my promise to you."

**A/N: Kudos to the one that understood what the paradox was (Hint: not directly related to either side of this story (not related to the Naruto-verse nor Teen Titans).**

**I'll admit, Naruto's fight was largely influenced by the game ****_Batman: Arkham Asylum_**** which I have been playing again.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and again kudos to the one who figures it out!**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	6. X, part 2

**I do not own Naruto, Teen Titans, nor any other element that may or may not appear in this story! This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

**V for Vendetta baby!**

Silent as the...

Chapter 3: X, part 2

Vault, Titan's Tower, an hour later

_"It's simple... There is good, and there is evil. There are those who commit crimes, and those who stop them."_

Robin's hand curled into a fist, though the rest of his features were cooled to a cooled grace hardened by years of crime fighting. Laying before him was what he had once thought of as a secure stronghold of a colored past he wished to forget that had been picked clean without so much as a lost strand of hair to track the one who stole from him, and taunted him by using it for the thief's own gain.

With a sudden pivoting of his heel, he marched away from the slab that returned to its original setting and the heavy security door that failed to guard it.

_"The two sides are opposite; as different as day and night. And the line between them is clear."_

The Boy Wonder stopped in mid step as he just entered the evidence portion of the room, and his eyes narrowed upon seeing the familiar broken remains of a wrist mounted Thermal Blaster... that he once used.

_"Or at least it's supposed to be."_

Again he marched forward only to find his sight lingering on a broken mask. Half of the mask, the right half, was completely black while the other half was colored like copper and bore the only slot to permit an eye to see through. Again, the Titan's fist clenched harder as memories painted in the color of anger washed against his mind.

_"I'm supposed to be one of the good guys; to always do the right thing. The line was suppose to be clear. But for me, back then, it wasn't... A madman was threatening the city and I had to stop him."_

With a faint grimace touching his lips, he turned slightly to view the fake wall that made up one of the X-suit's defenses slide back into place.

_"So I became Red X, a ruthless thief who could get closer to the madman than Robin ever could. But I didn't tell my teammates, and my plan didn't work. I almost lost my life, and my friends... it was the closest I ever come to crossing the line."_

With a solid "thunk," the door closed and the crevices that outlined disappeared as the 'wall' seamlessly aligned with the rest of the room's barrier.

_"And I thought it was in the past, but now someone else crossed that line and it's my job to stop him."_

With renewed, steeled vigor he marched out of the room and let the door shut behind him with the hollow assurance of its mechanized lock securing it.

XVX

Common Room

"Since we know Robin's the ex-Red X, who's the new guy then?" Cyborg queried as calmly as he could while partially grinding his teeth into dust as he leveled a smoldering glare on a portrait of the current Red X.

"Obviously someone smart enough to find the suit, dumb enough to take it for a joy ride and..." Raven pursed her lips as a sudden rushed of an injured pride threatened to break itself upon her only to be beaten back with methodical measure of self control and a muted deep breath. "Obviously skilled enough to leave Starfire alone by choice whereas the rest of us were... incapacitated." The mild shake of a head was her only response to Cyborg's renewed angry mutterings of the latest Red X only being lucky...

Said mutterings were cut short with the sudden arrival of a mobile grease board befitting of a classroom, the animal shape shifter of a Titan, and the board's subsequent ramming of the cybernetic teen into the far wall without note on Beast Boy's part while he spun the board portion of the unit around.

Giving the board portion of the mobile unit a spin, a gloved hand soon slapped itself onto what was once the backside of the board that has been scribbled into with many a theory born only to the green Titan. All of which centered around the mystery of the new Red X that included, but not limited to, an alternate dimension Robin with kleptomania, government spy went rogue, a sentient zombie with ninja skills, and a long lost brother to the Boy Wonder himself.

"Ok, if he's not Robin's evil twin then he's obviously a bionic monkey infused with Robin's DNA!" Beast Boy confidently stated as he gestured to not only a pictograph of an angelic baby Robin and a devilish newborn Robin as well as the rough sketching of a monkey-like Robin with crude cybernetic arms. No one was amused, and was personified with the sudden possession of the grease board that forced it to complete a series of revolutions fast enough that not only did it catch Beast Boy off guard, it captured him and spun him around till he was catapulted into the kitchen with a sharp yelp, that bordered along the lines of a scream, of surprise.

"It seems that the only solution to the mystery of the Red X is to apprehend him before he does something most dangerous," Starfire offered with a marked frown while her hands folded atop one another in contemplation.

"I would still like to know who I'm gonna pummel into ground so hard that it wakes the dead up regardless if Robin helps out or not!" Cyborg bellowed as he smashed a hand a hand into an open palm to emphasis his anger.

"It doesn't matter." Everyone's attention turned to Robin who tried his best to conceal every sign of brooding that tried to show itself with every step and would be erring twitch as he trekked across the room to the screen and took command of the abandoned keyboard in front of it. Near immediately, varying pictures of the X-suit consisting poses, zoom ins, and technical readouts. "I created Red X, every system; every weapon. Whoever's inside that suit, he's my reasonsibility..."

A dissatisfied grunt escaped Cyborg, followed by a brief rubbing of the back of his head in thought, before he spoke again. "Well, if we're gonna catch him, we need to know what he's after."

"I already know," Robin stated grimly. With the light smashing of a key, a red X fashion molecular structure appeared on the screen. "_Xenothium_; the fuel that powers the suit." Collective gasps erupted from the gathered Titans, save for Beast Boy who spent his breath grouching about what he didn't know compared to his friends.

"XENOTHIUM?! You powered that suit with _Xenothium_!? Are you crazy man, that stuff is dangerous and unstable! Tell me you were not stupid enough to go messing with it!" Cyborg ranted, snarled, and barely kept his voice from screeching.

The Boy Wonder trembled slightly before diminishing his rising anger from Cyborg's rebuking with a defeated sigh. "Red X was a mistake," he admitted as he used the keyboard once more to draw up an image of a specialized scanner, as described by Starfire before their assailant vanished behind the cover of the explosive X volley and the smokescreen it created. "The scanner Red X stole would locate any xenothium within a ten mile radius."

"So we must locate it first," Starfire surmised.

"X isn't the only one with a scanner," Cyborg abruptly states as he manned another console while pulling out the center chest piece of his body to show it was attached to a cord, the hand held end of which ended up installed into a port towards the bottom half of which. "I'm downloading the molecular signature and transmitting it to your communicators."

"Thanks." Cyborg turned around enough to peer past his shoulder to find Robin leaving the Common Room. "But I won't need it."

"How are you going to find the xenothium without a scanner?" Cyborg called out as the doors opened for the cape wearing Titan.

"The same way I found it the first time," Robin replied, not bothering to look behind to give his answer as the automatic doors closed behind him.

XVX

Rooftops, Jump City

Three sources.

Getting the scanner to work was a pain, but he did it. Now he had to bear in mind the tree sources of xenothium the scanner detected... two really given that one of the sources was the very suit he was wearing.

The only other relatively small bleep on the exceptionally small screen was of some concern, yet the indicated source appeared to be housed in an abandoned observatory... something that would most likely not track the Teen Titan's attention unless he actively made his presence known by obtaining the xenothium there and using it to demolish the place. For the time being he had to keep investigating the site on the backburner till his objective was complete. So to that end he focused on the larger source of xenothium the scanner had detected.

Said source, interestingly but not shockingly enough, was housed in a LexCorp office building/laboratory.

Given Lex Luthor's shady history and the nature of xenothium, it wasn't too surprising that he or at least an underling would have the foresight to plant a xenothium scanner in a corporate owned warehouse so they would have the chance to track down any thieves that obtained their, in all likelihood, undocumented property.

Though despite the owner's history and by proxy the company's past, he wouldn't put it past the Titans in answering an alarm with due haste. The odds were certainly better than barging into a more isolated location which may have been a secondary storehouse for all he knew. Or worse yet a secretive villain awaiting the chance to step into the light with, as Gizmo had said, "a mega-sized death ray" then it was certainly more imperative that he explore the second site when the dust settles... again. Hopefully not as quickly as the first time.

A finger gently pressed the synonymous X of his belt.

_Fzzt Fsch!_

A hint of a smile would've crept up on Naruto if he wasn't enveloped by a newfound annoyance of the sudden failure. He only sighed as he shook his head while he flicked a wrist and managed to conjure a shuriken X into his palm which he soon discarded.

"Getting closer," he mumbled. His gaze directed itself on the building itself and its glaring flaw to him: A glass domed ceiling with an opening in the middle... an all too easy entry point to someone like him or had the ability to fly.

As his mind was about to cater to the desire to draw the Titan's attention, via mayhem or once again deliberately tripping a alarm, movement drew his attention to the outdoor tier just below his own perch. It was Robin overlooking the same structure with his back to the shinobi; his own gaze on the point of entry that anyone could take provided they could get onto the roof. A brow was raised with the wondering if he, Naruto, was being ignored in some kind of plot to draw him into attacking first or if he was genuinely unnoticed by the teen before him. In either case, he ducked till he was flush with his respective roof to avoid detection.

It seemed it was the latter with the arrival of his green skinned cohort in the form of a likewise green bird before assuming his 'human' form. "So, you're pretty much kicking yourself for not getting rid of that Red X suit when you had a chance, huh?" From above, Naruto mildly shook his head in pointed disappointment at the shape shifter's unknowing expense.

He could learn to be more tactful.

Robin's response was to silently tense up, garnering a brief "heh" from the animal shifter as he had the decency to look a tad reproachful of his careless question. "Forget I said anything."

With a silent sigh, Robin relinquished his irritation. "I couldn't destroy it. The xenothium core is too dangerous to dispose off," Robin finally replied gravely as he continued to peer at the LexCorp building below. "It was supposed to be locked away," he finally adds without provocation.

The brief spurt of dark energy draw the attention of both hidden and non to Raven as she appeared on the rooftop with the other Titans, including Starfire who landed by moments after the former's arrival.

"No sign of Red X," Raven stated.

"Nor of Cyborg," Starfire remarked soon thereafter.

Whipping out their iconic communicator, Robin turned to it as it signals the line is open. "Cyborg, report! Cyborg!" A brief scowl snapped across Robin's face before he regained control of himself and lowered the communicator to his side. "X must have attacked him," he surmised grimly as his scowl threatened to present itself again. "If Cyborg's hurt it's my fault," he concluded as he quietly stalked past everyone.

From above, Naruto silently glowered from behind his helmet and hiding spot. "Now that's just rude..." he thought to himself. Rude, but not an unreasonable hypothesis to develop with the circumstances as they stood for Robin as Naruto pondered if the roles were reversed. The shinobi shook it off as he considered his next move.

"Robin," Starfire spoke softly as she approached the Boy Wonder. "I'm responsible Starfire, for everything that's happened," he morosely rebuked while criticizing himself.

"No Robin. The error you made, it is in the past. You are no longer the one inside that suit," Starfire said as she tried to keep the trepidation out of her voice out of fear she would push him over the edge by accident.

Naruto could almost chuckle at that. It was almost like seeing his own past as a third party this time as he tried to coax the spirit back into those he encountered... almost. His own methods usually consisted of yelling about his dreams and once unfailing determination to achieve his dream to ascend that disgraceful place he fought for, not to mention he usually was confrontational on some level during his... rants. However it seem to have little effect on the brooding teenager at this point in time... it was a bit nostalgic nonetheless though for Naruto as he turned to the other Titans for consideration...

Only to learn he been spotted... again.

By the same Dark Titan as before no less.

_Click._

Narrowly avoiding being trapped in a bubble by the working grace that was the belt, Red X reappeared behind Raven with both arms raised at the would-be capturer and her shocked companion. Two constrictive Xs shot out of his palms and both found purchase though radical in their own right: One found Beast Boy without effort as his slow acting body tried to dodge in the form of a shape shift and pinned him to the wall while its twin was forced to contend with a quick witted barrier erected by Raven's mysticism.

The X fell to the roof and lay forgotten when the temporary wall dissipated, the energy that once sustained it diverted into an energized claw that sought to trap the burglar in its grasp. Not one to be captured so easily, the thief back flipped out of its reached, and again when it caught up to him, and it continued as such as he evaded the phantasmal hand. Using a flourish in his latest back flip, he came to a stop with his back to the Dark Titan and his hands outstretched to intercept the Titan's leader as he came at him in a flying kick. Fingers locked around the metal sole of Robin's boot, yet didn't remain so for long. With the advantage of the momentum the mask wearer had built to launch himself into the air, Naruto sent him tumbling towards Raven with a snarl lost to the shinobi as the latter flipped through the air uncontrollably towards his teammate with a shinobi in following directly behind him.

With a wave of the hand, Robin was encompassed and brought upright as he should be within a orb of solid mystified shadow... with the solid part emphasized with Red X's landing atop the sphere and landing a successive constrictive X strike at his previous target. Paying no head to the angry, muffled yelling from Raven, the same hand that crippled the sorceress, for the time being, swiftly jerked to the growling teen beneath him.

The moment the barrier failed was the same moment Robin found himself bound by two constricting Xs.

"RAWR!"

Naruto paid Starfire no direct mind as he opted to roll forward, and slightly over Robin, to gain distance between him and the tamaranian who simply flew over him till she was but a foot away and prepared to battle with her arms raised and bolts at the ready. With the narrowing of his blue eye under the helmet, he gave Starfire a fierce response; in his roll, Naruto planted both hands on the ground and drove both feet into the solar plexus and driving the air out of her, though whether it was through actual force overpowering her or the shock heralded from an unexpected attack he couldn't tell. With the downing of one of the more exotic members of the Titans, Naruto was free to 'pursue' the xenothium...

But first things first in the mind of Naruto Uzumaki; a hand swerved into action without an eye to guide it and fired a small volley of the more recently used Xs as of late.

"Oh come on! You weren't even looking and yet you hit me! Do you have eyes in the back of your head or something?!" Red X simply ignored Beast Boy as he walked to the edge of the roof and left one boy named after a bird locked up in constraints, a fellow bird named Titan to wrestle futility with her 'mouth guard,' a shape shifter now struggling with a new set of bonds almost like a worm after escaping the first X that entrapped him, and finally a winded and stunned visitor from a distant planet trying to reclaim her lost wind... at least they put up a better fight this time around.

"Jerk," Beast Boy grumbled while the second time assailant jumped off to the laboratory below.

XVX

Xenothium storage vault, eight minutes later

Locks of the electronic kind were overpowered with the static variety of Xs. Laser wire defenses were avoided with a gymnast's skill he was certain he would've lacked back in the days when Team Seven was still fresh. The equivalent to a glass wall, or ceiling as his free falling body could perceive it at the time, was by passed and the last chokepoint of a defense system utterly ignored with the ability to walk on walls.

Now with a overridden vault door as his protector, the burglar couldn't help but rub a finger against where his chin should be while giving his room a courteous inspecting from the vial, containing but a sample of xenothium ore, held aloft in gravity defying suspension to the numerous wall penetrating containers built into the surrounding perimeter. He still had no idea of knowing the suit's power level at the moment and he had only himself to blame at this point given the latest defeat of the Teen Titans. There was no telling if said Titans were even on his trail at this point with the sudden distance brought by trouncing them and the corridors that the glass domed room had. Lastly he was now at the precipice of his... 'objective.'

Now what to do...

_Snap!_ The idea came to him as announced by his fingers acting on a whim.

"To think I didn't think of this a second sooner," he chuckled slightly as he brought his hands into the first jutsu he had ever learned outside of the academy...

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" his mask hoarsely whispered, his chakra surging and giving life to a shadow clone who in turn assumed the form of a closed pressurized carrier geared to the transport of xenothium and other such items requiring a vial to hold. "Now to get out of here..." he muttered as he leisurely went for the "container."

Then an intruder made himself known as a laser pierced the concrete walls surrounding the vault door and made a full circle around the reinforced steel till its own weight became its own undoing and finished the work that the weaponized beam set out to do, and its wielder soon became known to the shinobi who jumped away out of instinct alongside snatching the "container." It was Robin, holding an the laser cannon that failed to bar Naruto passage but moments before despite what should be in terms of body strength and the fact it was attached to the ceiling, and pinning a masked glare on the thief of the X-suit. "You're not going anywhere!" he growled before dropping the cannon and charging him.

He barely left the improvised platform when an occurrence too strange for him to shrug off manifested itself... Red X was laughing. It wasn't derisive in nature, though it was hard to discern as such with the voice mask Robin personally built into the helmet. It wasn't boasting of overconfidence of his situation either, though it was still hard to tell. In any case, Robin held back and armed himself with a bo-staff. Whatever the chortle consisted of, the suddenly jovial thief did little to stop himself from tilting his head up nor keep himself still as his arms shook violently enough to affect the container... for surely inanimate objects couldn't contort on their own.

It had to be from the slightly wild swinging... right?

Regardless of the answer, Robin armed himself with his commonplace grim grimace that bore down on most criminals. "What's so funny?" he asked in the same fashion as his expression, though with added harshness.

The thief shook his head as he calmed down. Directing a masked gaze of his own, Red X stared at the teenager who tensed in anticipation. "Nothing personal," Naruto rasped from behind his helmet, "but I think I just received an idea of how I was perceived years ago." He shook his head in a self criticizing manner, an opportunity that Robin took to heart.

He charged once more, leaping into the air, and betraying himself with a battle cry as he brought his foot down in hopes to taking down the distracted X-suit wearer. A free hand caught his boot's sole once more and swung him away with the use of his momentum once more; Red X wasn't even looking as far as the Boy Wonder could tell, and it only served to infuriate him further. Regaining his footing in a balance correcting flip, Robin charged once more with his staff as his method of attack for a change.

It was caught when deadlier variant of the Xs was manifested and brought into action; a blade X, the big but flightless brother of the shuriken X, and the trained arm of its current master caught the modern day descendant of a monk's weapon. The Titan's leader growled as he tried to overpower the unyielding weapon and its new owner who only deigned to only give him a side glance without truly turning.

Teeth gritted as dire thoughts arose in Robin's mind as he tried to battle said thoughts with conviction and reasoning:

The X-suit, by design, did nothing for its wearer outside of using xenothium powered abilities- all of which were deadly in nature under the right circumstances but more specifically meant to incapacitate and escape enemies rather than fight them. It absolutely did nothing to improve one's standing stature such as endurance, constitution, and strength. Skills however were debatable at any given point between the suit's abilities, a person's experience with them, and the training one may or may not have before, during, or after donning the suit.

With that in mind, as Robin dreaded, it was quite possible that the current Red X was someone who was not only stronger but far more skilled than Robin himself given the more recent experiences he and his team had endured. Of course brawn and skill weren't the only deciding factors in an engagement...

"Why did you steal the suit? And what do you plan to do with it?" he half grunted, half growled as he kept his assault on the X blade, all the while searching for an opening to utilize.

"Both of which are quite personal," Red X rasped as he kept up his defence much to the Titan's dismay... however short lived it was. With a sudden push upward, the Boy Wonder struggled to maintain control of his bo-staff while dimly noting the X blade retracted into the glove... but the fist digging into his stomach came too soon for Robin to take notice.

Eye bulged under the domino mask, limbs limped, and both bile and saliva came out unwillingly through an unresponsive open jaw as the teen was left behind as a crumpled heap while his assailant padded away without a glance nor word spared to him.

And all was silent... not even the slight scuffing of the thief's uncaring walk could break the quiet that settled over the vault.

However the cry of a pained grunt, precursory by the crack of electricity, proved powerful enough to banish whatever spell that had been cast over the almost surreal scene. From the only entrance, courtesy of Robin, dozens upon dozens of astronaut-lookalikes, with a hazmat insignia on their shoulders alongside tubing that ran from various chest mounted apparatuses and domed helmets, poured forth from the down door and began to rip the place apart with a scientist's expertise and care in handling the unstable material that was their target. They held no worries, the only one capable of sending them off was too shocked defend himself while the only other one capable of defeating them was defeated by the skull wearing thief decorated in red Xs. Their comrade tasked upon delivering a portable two way live feed communicator especially had nothing to fear as he performed his task and left Robin alone in a convorsation with his boss, Professor Chang, concerning the latter's soon to be realized plans... with some precautions of course assured by shock stave and resin spray hoses.

With no challenge set against them, they cleared the entirety of the vault of its cargo within ten minutes. Including the xenothium container the supposed Red X had. The rush of a successful robbery coupled with the minute chance of being followed and possibly stopped only served to hasten their theft and retreat.

It however blinded them in noticing the distinct presence of skull-masked thief missing, and another hazmat wearer supplementing their number.

XVX

Observatory, forty-eight minutes later

It was close as disturbing could get when it came to Professor Chang's henchmen. As far as he could tell they weren't into torture, out to conquer the world as they knew it, let alone into swearing their heads off. However they had the unusual habit of staying silent, thus leaving most of their communication in the form of gestures and hand signals. Were they mute or perhaps deaf? Perhaps. Another possibility that Naruto cooked up by observing a few was that the suits were sound proofed on the inside yet equipped with radios or a likewise device.

That or those few that indicated they were talking were playing a half hearted game of charades.

Naruto honestly didn't care... much. In any battlefield, silence could be both welcoming and daunting to everyone. Sabotage was no such exception, especially so with the guise as a fellow henchman of Chang acting as his sole means to camouflage from the arguable army of minions that was both guard and workforce to... of all things, "a mega-sized death ray."

Gizmo would probably be snickering by now if he knew about Chang's choice of a doomsday device, provided that he wasn't busy building some kind of defense or fleeing altogether in the event he learned of it of course.

At any rate, both hastened and diminished at times with what patrols and maintenance crews that drew near, the control booth was ready to malfunction the second he desired it; tampering with the power converters was out of his league while messing with the xenothium would most like lead to his discovery if not his death. Now all that he was left with, outside of activating the intended haywire, was to rescue the trapped Titans minus Robin. He had his reasons...

Namely he bore no ill will to them. Nor did he hold malice for the city that was unknowingly being imperiled once more by a, more-or-less, crazed man seeking to be feared by all with the respect of a select few that were as black hearted as he was.

That... and he wasn't found of death. It was almost ironic with his... career, his armament, and the company he kept amongst other things should one argue for the sake of arguing, but the underlying sentiment remained the same nonetheless.

By that sentiment alone, he supposed that he would've came to stop Chang in any case... provided that he knew of it of course.

The heavy thunk of machinery whirring to life drew his attention to the xenothium powered cannon with its creator riding along its ascent in the booth that awaited his plan to be enacted. He wasn't the only one drawn in by its activation and the opening of the domed roof to permit an unadulterated firing.

It was as perfect a chance as any for him to make his move; he crept ever so silently to the completely frozen Titans, sans Starfire who had retained enough strength on her person to shatter the ice that once encrusted her head, and slipped behind the cryo-containers.

"Now who to free first..." he muttered quietly.

It was actually rhetorical to begin with. Beast Boy would most likely break what cover he had and draw unwanted attention from both Chang and his veritable army with the more sudden change of events of once enemies turning into, albiet temporary, allies. Cyborg, though can be reasoned with, was more of a brawler than a hider in the current situation. Starfire would most likely charge in to stop the plot afoot if she wasn't properly restrained. That only left the only Titan whose cool demeanor and level headedness dominated most of the world's opinion of her for better and worse.

With only a glance spent for the tamaranean to see if she was aware of his presence or not, which she wasn't, fingers nimbly flew through various switches and wires with only intense observation as a reference. A muted hiss and onrush of chilled air rewarded him with the successful hack. An arm snaked around the waist of the frozen spell user while the hand of its twin cupped around her mouth as both limbs abducted her from her cell. Deprived of its cold atmosphere, the ice soon crumpled and the teenager it once held prisoner did her best not to squeak in surprise nor struggle outside of the instinctual jolt that cried for her to do so while her eyes narrowed on the "henchman" who had let go of her waist in favor to form a shushing gesture in silence. She relented only after giving her surroundings a glance.

Slowly the hand that kept her silent let go and pointed towards the others who were still trapped by the ice before going to their own individual controls- more specifically to Cyborg's detainment cell. On a hunch she raised a hand with her synonymous energies coalescing around it. Her concentration however, and by extension Naruto's, was broken for a moment when Robin appeared in the only portal large enough to fit Chang's cannon and assaulted the man with a hard enough blow that his foot knocked a lever which itself directed the cannon's aim from whatever target it had previously focused on.

Whatever was hit, it apparently held some sentiment to Robin and was large enough to be noticed from a distance. "You just made a big mistake," Robin snarled.

"Attack!" Every minion of Professor Chang mobilized to arm themselves or better yet utilize their current equipment if and when they had it.

With a doubled haste, the half lucid mind of Cyborg barely registered himself being rescued by Raven and one of Chang's men of all people. Beats being frozen in place though. During the "henchman's" rescue of their green teammate, goon after goon fell to the onslaught that was Robin's martial prowess before and after he landed on the main floor, while more and more converged to fight him.

"Robin!" With some aid towards warning him of course as he turned his attention to an onrushing group... and Chang's cannon being maneuvered into range. It was the latter of which Naruto feared more as the turret twisted into place and its operator was to be given a better view; a more detached mind like Chang's would easily notice a few missing Titans as opposed to occupied minions. Beast Boy's rescue was to be postponed, and the gathered group of active Titans had to be dismissed lest they be spotted by accident as the shinobi's mind raced to a sudden conclusion. As for Raven and Cyborg however, they retreated to a standing wall of crates with only some reluctance on the latter's part; Cyborg's turst for the 'turncoat' went only as far as Raven's own trust under the circumstances.

The sight of dark clothed movement amidst its polar opposite in color was enough to draw the cybernetic human's attention to an unwelcomed sight. "_Red X?!_" he half growled as the other half was a yell that he struggled to restrain. "What's he doing here?!"

Raven however only narrowed her eyes once more as the 'turncoat' and X operated under some strange familiarity with each other, sans a brief tensing of surprise of coarse from the former, as made evident with an order given by the turncoat to enter the spare empty chamber with but a simple point. "What are they doing?" she quietly mutters to herself as she witnessed both enter the recently emptied cells.

Her answer came at a shocking answer that confused even Cyborg, but it was she who was alarmed the greatest out of the two. With a single seal formed in both their hands, they disappeared into clouds of smoke only to reappear from the rapidly dispersing clouds... as the trapped versions of the freed Titans.

However instead of gawking at the view, both of the actual Titans ducked behind their hiding place while Chang gave chase to Robin via the constant adjustments made to the ever moving cannon even as the Boy Wonder retreated to the upper levels with his grapple gun. Yet they weren't without surprise, nor suspicion; changing one's physical appearance was not a common power even amongst the most carefully honed bio-sciences.

Plants forced into living weaponry or decoys, the ability to turn into the virtual clones of others, and weaponry called into existence or morphed from one item to another on a whim...

The thin lips of the mystical Titan creased as her world became ever more strange with a newer breed of powers coming into the light... and it seems that the latest Red X and his... 'companion' was just as capable of wielding them just as capably as their more recent encounters in the past couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, on the higher tiers of the increasingly ruined observatory from blasts that failed to kill the mask wearer, hung the former sidekick to Batman from a precariously hanging wreckage that was once a railing for a walkway with the cannon's sights set on him.

"Okay, Good Boy, who shall I destroy first. You... or your pretty friend?" Without waiting for a response, the mad scientist willed his creation to a higher setting and angled the cannon to the captured teens...

"What!?" Blinking hard, and daring to lean forward from his perch, he peered down on the containment units for the captured Titans. All he found was a kid wearing a death's head mask bearing a jagged red X piercing its right eye staring back at him with a remote switch in hand.

_Click._

_Thunk!_

Under a pair of visors, the cannon user darted his head left to right as his weapon _powered down_. His mouth, his tongue, and his lips struggled to form proper words in his sputterings as he tried to resurrect his creation. The controls were unresponsive to say the least. So consumed he was in trying to rearm himself that he failed to notice Robin landing atop his booth and ended his schemes with a round house kick.

On the floor, everything devolved into anarchy when remaining host of henchmen were being brought down left and right by the freed Titans. Those that fought were knocked down, never to rise again in the immediate future while those that tried to flee met the same fate. Amid the rapidly declining chaos a lone thief walked at his leisure towards the only exit the ground floor had, leaving himself content with using the manic henchmen as a distraction. It was just a few feet away after all, and running would probably only draw their attention.

"Not so fast, X." And so those mild hopes were dashed as Red X deigned to stop and peer over his shoulder to see the Teen Titans have assembled behind him. "While I'm grateful that you had helped my friends, I'm afraid I can't let you go," Robin called out as he readied himself for yet another fight with him.

A crisp frown adorn Naruto's lips as he lightly clenched a failsafe if the suit's power wasn't depleted by now... which in all probability was still functioning given its less strenuous use in his last fight, courtesy of his now spent clone. "I already got what I came for," raising his fist, he let a vial of xenothium ore peek through. "Is there a reason which compels me to stay?" he asks nonchalantly. With that Robin smirked, an act which elicited the blond to raise a hidden eyebrow while the dark haired teenage raised a belt as he replied to his otherwise rhetorical question. "I'm afraid that won't do you much good without this."

Stifling a sharp, surprised sniff of air he cautiously patted the area where his belt was...

"That's what I get for letting my guard down," he admonished himself with a hidden worn smile as he toyed with the newfound questions regarding his now... stolen belt.

He could get the belt back right now if he desired. He could infiltrate the tower once again and steal it back if he so wished...

Nah. Even he needed sleep.

With the raising of his spare hand and flicking it, he seemingly conjured a trio of spheres wedged between each finger and let them loose. Immediately the thief vanishes in a cloud of black smoke that engulfed his person, and a nearby wall flashed a blindingly bright red flash before it gave way to the newfound blast.

XVX

Common Room, Titan's Tower, an hour later

_"There is good, and there is evil. But the line between them can be almost impossible to find."_

Their search revealed no trace of the new Red X. Where he went was as much as mystery to them as was his identity.

As of the moment, Robin sat in front of the computer as he filed in factual data and speculated abilities. What footage they could get on the new Red X was also filed away.

Satisfied with the work so far, he eases himself off his chair and walked towards the door with a X marked belt within his clutch.

_"Does one good deed make him a hero? Am I to blame for all of it because of a single mistake?"_

In another portion of the tower, easily marked by the still heated scorch marks that a stray xenothium shot carved into the steel and concrete, Cyborg groaned as he scribbled into a notepad as he catalogued the damages and did the number crunching for repairs costs and materials needed simultaneously... till he chucked it away and clawed at his head in teeth gnashing frustration.

_"In the end, all I really know is that the answers don't come easy."_

In another room, far deeper than most in the tower, stood yet another vault with far greater security than two sets of doors armed with a lock. Automated turrets with high energy particle beams were trained on both the only door into the room and the equivalent to a wall of heavy duty lock boxes where Robin deposited the only item that gave the X-suit its powers. As his fingers drew away, his arm fell to his side in a limp as he remembered how easy it was for him to defeat his teammates during his short reign as Red X as he sought to learn of Slade's agenda.

_"It's supposed to be simple... but it's not."_

XVX

Hidden Bunker

At first she dismissed him, though not without reason. In fact it was because there was a lack of one that she paid the one eyed blond no mind when Sēji Muyomora approached him on the roof. For all she knew, this blond was an acquaintance of the arms dealer. Not even the mentioning of what appeared to be a mutual set of enemies raised her interest. After all, who in a profession that was associated with bloodshed wouldn't have enemies?

But he had piqued her curiosity now.

He was obviously skilled, that was a given in the career of a successful assassin, and was proven so when he defeated the Titans whom she spied on from afar without a single successful blow made against him and again in slipping into enemy ranks without raising suspicion. But what truly piqued her interest came in the hacked cameras of the LexCorp facility where he not only formed a clone which turned into a false container but also quickly recovered from being shocked with a amplified cattle prod of a shock stick and assumed the identity of their kind when they weren't looking in one go. But was that all he had?

_No._ At the very least she hoped not. But there in lied the problem: How was she to provoke this ninja into showing more of his powers and skills? It was obvious that the Teen Titans were neither strong nor talented enough to force him into such a position.

She sighed as she drew a blank. A slate eye peered onto the screens once more to the mask-less blond in both what she deemed his ninja gear and the X-suit when he took off his helmet to get a closer look at the xenothium scanner. Until fortune favors her with a more adequate understanding of what he was capable of, she could only keep tabs on him if all routes were exhausted. And that was including bribing their... mutual acquaintance Muyomora.

Oh how she despised waiting... but revenge wasn't something to be rushed.

All good things come to those who wait after all.

**A/N: Thank you all who got the V's paradox line! It's just redundant to ask someone their name when they go through the trouble of hiding their appearance.**

**As you may have noticed, Naruto had gotten up a lot quicker, not to mention stayed awake, than the canon version (Actual Teen Titans featuring a otherwise nameless Red X or this story's base ****_RedX Rising_****, your pick)when shocked with the henchman's super taser of a weapon. My reasoning is as follows: Between the crap Naruto goes through long before the events of Blood Prison and the sealing method used to prevent ninja from leaving said prison let alone cause trouble with chakra based attacks, I would think being shocked would only be a KO for Naruto if he was blasted after a huge fight and that's including the canon Naruto.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	7. The returning past

**I do not own Naruto, Teen Titans, nor any other element that may or may not appear in this story! This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

**To Paraphrase Sheldon Cooper of Big Bang Theory: "If you're going to [insult] me, at least get your facts straight."**

Silent as the...

Chapter 4: The returning past

Shadowed Cafe, Jump City

Raven was by no means a stranger to the comforts of routine, security of the familiar, and the tranquility of repetition. In a number of instances, it effectively saved time when words now amounted to reminders as opposed to a mandatory service. It was especially useful for those days where a mission almost instantaneously gave said night away to day, and unfortunately, like most creatures, sleep was all but impossible when the sun found its persistent way through the barricades that were the curtains and shelves to disturb those from their usual resting place.

A medium green tea, medium oolong tea with an extra lump of sugar to go. A courtesy and pick-me-up respectively.

Another benefit to a routine, even if young by comparison to much older sets, was that few people were ever surprised when Raven was enveloped by a shell of living darkness, illuminated by a thin line of white, and vanished by sinking through the floor.

XVX

Park

In the seclusion of the trees and bushes, the drink bearing Raven emerged from her cocoon of entranced shadows with a weary eyed yawn to announce her presence. Unlady-like though it may be, but between the lack of rest and the fact no one was near, that she could sense at least, gave her some leeway in letting the normally impossible to see through mask over her emotions and condition slip for a moment. She shook her head gently, and with it her features were schooled back to their normal appearance with none the wiser to her underlying fatigue thanks to the surrounding brush that barred her no restriction upon leaving and finding a familiar stretch of concrete walkway lined with bushes and the occasional tree. The flick of the eye equally rewarded her with a familiar park bench to which she strolled to.

While she had no objections to the scenery of nature on a normal day where crime looked to be suffering a low point in activity, she never took the time to leave the partially fearsome protection provided by the Tower nor forsake the comforts of her usual haunts when she felt ill content with staying inside, or even near, the tower for prolonged periods of time. That had changed but a couple of weeks ago at the earliest with a chance encounter with a complete stranger in one of the handful of bookstores that catered to her more unique interests when compared to her friends. She wasn't quite sure what exactly drew her to him, perhaps that he gave off an odd sort of presence she couldn't put her finger on. There was also the fact that he held her in the same regard as one passerby gave to another when crossing paths, minus any latent awe from those who just realized who they just passed.

He certainly wasn't the average citizen for sure.

In any case, that was not her first encounter for that day. They encountered each other again at her favorite cafe about an hour later while she was about to enter her the establishment when he was beating a hasty retreat with a to go cup in hand. And as if there was some sort of cosmic joke that eluded her, they encountered each other when a compulsion led her through the park, also armed with a cup of tea to go, to the very bench she now settled herself in.

Both of them were a tad perturbed by the relatively high frequency of run ins with each other, but that didn't stop the exchanging of dialogue, the venting of frustrations, and the occasional smirk being shared that day and what had progressed since then. Today would be no different if whatever plots of some crook at 'work' had no say in the matter. The dull trudge of movement caught her attention from the corner of her eye, and a small smile almost flirted itself upon her lips.

There he was in his seemingly selective garb of dark blue jeans that virtually gobbled up all but the most protrusive part of a pair of black tennis shoes, his black tee shirt overlapped by a gray windbreaker with a hoodie that dangled at the back of the neck, and his black bucket hat with thin, pinstripe white lines adorning the left side of his hat. Strapped to his back and angled to the side was a fairly large leather case lacquered black, held tightly shut by a magnetic lock that presumably only to the owner of it knew how to open as alluded to by more than one would be thief bold enough to try to steal its contents from his back and in her presence no less! At times, when the wind was particular strong that day, she would at times see small glimpses of features hidden behind dusty red bangs, to which his hat sat atop on, that seemed to have purposely moved into place to hide everything but a lone blue eye; every now and then, she could've sworn she seen whisker birthmarks, a cloth band that seemed to cover his left eye, and if she squinted she could almost swore she seen a loose strand of golden hair that seemed to have escaped the confines of his hat.

She shook her head minutely as she took a sip from her drink in hopes of reviving some of her spirit back to its usual glory as the world perceived it.

"A long night I take it?" The other cup soon left her grip but a second upon its offering. She slightly smirked as she casually replied, "A long night indeed."

"Hmm." He settled himself on the bench, with a little extra distance than their usual meetings. Raven paid it no mind as she tended to her cup, it was relaxing as it stood. No intrusions into her life any further than she allowed, her current company was content with the silence and only spoke up now and then for the sake of conversation or to voice his opinions. He didn't invade her personal space unlike a few others she could name... namely Beast Boy for that matter, or on occasion Starfire as some weeks pan out to be. Last, but not least, it was nice to simply be around someone without spending half minded worry on how to act.

"It wasn't a game of "Stank Ball" was it?" Not to mention it was refreshing to have someone to talk to and receive some concern from who wasn't a teammate, even if they are asking out of genuine concern. Even if said concern was more out of humor than actual concern, it was nice. "A part of me wished it was just that," Raven replied in a small scoff.

XVX

Konoha Hideout

There were few things Sasuke Uchiha was left to do on his own as he was left to rot in their wretched hideout while under the watchful eye of those who believed themselves superior to him.

Kakashi Hatake had taken the guise of a clerk at a bookstore where one of this city's 'protectors' allegedly frequented.

Neji Hyuga held a similar position as a server at a restaurant or cafe. Sasuke cared not for the details.

Might Guy was a fitness instructor of some kind somewhere. Again, Sasuke didn't care for the details.

Kurenai Yuhi wondered the streets collecting information from gossiping peasants as they milled about the city.

Ino Yamanaka, Sakura Haruno, and the useless Hyuga girl went off to some school where every peasant was welcomed and educated to function in overall useless jobs while a rare few found themselves lucky enough to polish the floors for the elite and deserving of society. What information they brought was utterly useless to the team.

The weapons girl, just as useless as the supposed heiress of his rival clan, did whatever it is she does between orders from his 'superiors.'

Idiots, all of them. It was obvious what must be done. This sneaking about was only wasting what time could be spent hunting that wretched_ genin_ down, or better yet flushing _him_ out to deal the justice that _must_ be done. There was no way he was as strong as they claimed to be... he only got _lucky_ with his cowardly tactics.

That's the _only_ reason he won _any_ of his fights in the first place. The entirety of his existence was nowhere comparable to a Uchiha after all.

And unlike his so called 'superiors,' he thought of a foolproof plan as to how to find the traitor. It was simple really, thus it amazed Sasuke to no end that no one around him thought of it yet. All he had to do was check the records; Konoha had an extensive collection of those who resided within the walls, both resident and visitor alike, which itself helped alienate uninvited guests and diminish the areas to search in when the need calls for it. Without a doubt, this city held such records similar to their own, if not better, for their own law enforcement to utilize.

Since the so called shinobi around him were too squeamish to even consider going out to ask, it fell to him to accomplish this task and end this sham of a chase. It was only fitting, it was he who sought justice to those who had been wronged after all...

Cracking his neck, the Avenger of his clan left his spot on the floor, warmed by the small bout of meditation that lasted only a few minutes, and proceeded with confidence to the nearby door that promised access to the world outside. His only means of hindrance, Neji, lay spent on a table where sleep soon dominated him. A price to pay for the farce of a menial laborer servering hordes of equally mundane masses to play a loathsome game of cat and mouse for an a cowardly _idiot_.

The slamming of the door however roused the jonin from his slumber with a confused, sleep addled drawl to ascertain what happened while his clear eyes blinked away the fog that cloaked the world in front of him. The bleariness that slowed his revelation of the world around him was banished the instant he found Sasuke Uchiha missing.

"Damn it," he hissed. The others wouldn't be back for some time, and his lack of diligence, in part helped by being corralled into a late night shift, wrought possible disaster by the hands of the murderous loose cannon that held as much thought of the weight of his actions as a spoiled child does when getting his own way. The comparison would be mildly funny to Neji in any other situation if Sasuke wasn't on the loose given that the Uchiha was exactly that: A spoiled child down to the core whose contributions amounted to kicking and screaming both on and off the battlefield while tossing his family name about with no regard of its now tattered prestige between his own betrayal and using his name to get, almost, everything he desired.

The death of Naruto, thankfully... to a degree at least, was one such demand he couldn't be granted even with supporters seeking the scraps of once was an honored house. Or at least the wealth related to the clan of the hypocrite who claims he wants to replenish the numbers but refuses the brides offered to him.

"Hmmph, genius indeed," he half grouched and half chastised to both himself and Sasuke as he fervently sought pen and paper to notify anyone from his team he couldn't find while he hunted down their uninvited guest. Unlike Sasuke, Neji had the good graces to be humbled by defeats and mistakes in whatever form they came in. Unlike Sasuke, the prodigy of the Hyuga clan knew he wasn't invincible. Those delusions, potentially _lethal_ delusions in retrospect, were cast out long ago... ironically by the same blond that both he and Sasuke now chased though the reasons were their own.

XVX

The Summer Hotel, three hours later

In truth it wasn't a hotel, not anymore at least. It was now an apartment complex using the pre-existing schemata with a few alterations to enable small families to live there such as a kitchen and a slightly enlarged bathroom for example for each room. It was strangely nostalgic for Naruto as he roomed the halls to his room, the true difference between his former abode and here was the distinct sense of everyone else's presence around his room while his former 'home' was as occupied as a crypt, and just as comfortable as one if he snuck a bed and a heater into it.

At least the ruination of some parts of both room and the complex at large came from poor maintenance, on whose part was arguable given the location of said deterioration, rather than being abandoned altogether to the nonexistent skills of a child.

Weakened by age or lack of care aside, there was no reason for his own room's door to be opened to a sliver of a crack as opposed to being firmly shut and locked. A frown adorned Naruto's features as he closed his eye in exasperation while a trio of fingers firmly coaxed the door open from the safety of the hinged bearing half of the door. It didn't take long to bait someone lurking inside into action.

"What the-!?" The cry, originally brought on by the distinct lack of anyone to tackle into, was compounded to a near terrified shriek when a hand snagged the would be assailant by the scruff of his jumpsuit and hold him aloft with no effort on the grabber's part from outside the rented room.

"I'm not sure which is the more prudent question here: How was I located or what brings you to my abode?" Naruto dully commented as he plainly stared at Gizmo as the latter struggled to free himself from the shinobi's grip.

"It's not really hiding when you use _your own name_ to register in at the desk, you moron!" Gizmo growled as he continued to struggle for freedom. As for Naruto however, his jaw slackened to find some kind of rebuttal. No such luck in defend his pride there...

Shaking his head clear of embarrassment, he entered his room with the diminutive genius in tow only for the latter to be set on the ground soon after the closing of the door and relieving himself of his bucket hat on a nearby hat stand, alongside the fake hair attached to it.

Being a former hotel, his room, like many others, was essentially one bedroom that held much of its former glory in terms of furniture such as two beds, a desk, and an armoire as per the design of the hotel before it was repurposed; the furniture that could be made off with in a hurry, with help, was bolted to the floor. The kitchen sat in the corner with a small fridge adjacent to it.

Mammoth already helped himself to it as the small pile of ramen cups made evident. At least he had the decency to freeze in mid-chew of his latest victim when brought under the scrutiny of Naruto's stare, as well as slightly quake gestured "I'm watching you" before trudging away in a grumble. Business resumed as usual for Mammoth... with a careful glance now spent toward the irked blond now and then.

"Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you?!" Gizmo roared suddenly as he rounded on the blond as he slipped the case off his back, opening it, and retrieved the blank charmed katana from it. "I can't say, I didn't even know you were looking for me," Naruto calmly replied as he rested the sword on the table.

"Oh shut up!" Gizmo growled as a direct response to a brief amused snort from Mammoth as he ripped open another cup of ramen.

"Is there a reason you're wound up?" Naruto asked reservedly as he freed himself of both his jacket and shoes.

"Oh no, I just had one too many cans of Monster- OF COURSE THERE IS! JINX IS MISSING YOU BLOND BASTARD!"

"Calm down," the shinobi sternly chided as he ventured into the 'kitchen' and retrieved a glass to dip under the faucet. "Now tell me what happened."

With a grumble from the shortest of the room, it started. "Though a number of the guys went off the radar, like you, after the Academy was destroyed, some of us stuck to Brother Blood. A few days ago, he sent Jinx out on a job to collect the haul from some guys who owe us on the west side and she hadn't come back yet! Both of us are starting to go-"

His ramblings were cut short when the cup in Naruto's grip, filled just short from the brim, found itself in Gizmo's clutches before he knew it while its now former holder all but ghosted his way past Gizmo to the armoire. "Details please," he firmly requested as he opened up the closed cupboard space to reveal the contents being a sparse number of scrolls. Only one of which was taken before the wooden storage was closed once more.

"Huh?" Gizmo 'intelligently ' uttered with a slight tilt of the head.

"Location, number of guys, armament, that sort of thing," the blond clarified before disappearing into the confines of the bathroom and locking the door behind him.

"Uh... Abandoned hotel on the west side, roughly eight guys or so- Hey wait, you're actually thinking about going there!? Mammoth can't even intimidate these guys! What makes you think they would cower before you?" A moment of silence ensued as Gizmo, and to a lesser extent a slightly indignant Mammoth, awaited an answer beyond the slight shuffling of clothes, feet, and the dulled sounds of clothes being zipped or buckled. It all lasted a few minutes before the door finally opened up for the shinobi inside.

The glass cup slipped slightly in Gizmo's grip as he beheld the charcoal suit bearing some reminiscence of the X-suit. Gone were the decorative Xs that would've been expected on the copy. Gone was the cape that once made up the original suit. It took a keen eye, outside of the original creator's eye, to notice the details that seemed to have been molded into the design of the suit that gave little to no distinctive coloring to help identify them: Boots, possibly stolen in terms of aesthetics from the game Gears of War, guarded his feet and shins with a small guard jutting from the rest of it by a small rounded bar to guard the front of the knee. On his waist, a dark gray, davy gray specifically, an utility belt sat bearing the essentials of his craft, a small bone white indent of a jawless skull with black eyes sat on the circular buckle of the belt; a kunai case rested on his right thigh, held tight by charcoal colored tapping. Both hands were encased in leather gauntlets that were gloves, thick and given precautionary plating on the back of each hand that shown as brilliantly as the suit did while in contrast a davy gray X adorned the palm of each glove. Small pads guarded his shoulders going so far as just short of touching his neck to where the shoulder ended. The mask, though based on the original's design, was without an X to its bone white features not to mention remodeled more like the front half of a grinning skull... and given a jaw to boot. The dim gray of the sockets made them hollow to those who looked upon them. On his back, tilted towards his right, was the ninjato.

"I have my ways," Naruto finally rumbled through the synthesizer.

Leaving the gobsmacked inventor alone, the shinobi retrieved the sword that awaited him on the table and slid it into a holster on the belt. With a resolute crack of the neck, the window became his next destination. On the way, Mammoth froze once more to the annoyed stare that was indubitably placed upon him as hinted by the slight tilt of the head towards him and the sudden halt before crossing him. Tensed muscles spasmed slightly with the sudden jerking of a finger now pointed at him. "At least _cook_ them before devouring them whole!" he all but growled in his exasperation before leaving through the window, not bothering to close it after opening it.

"Wait, you been eating those raw the entire time?" Gizmo finally asked upon gaining his second wind.

"Uh... yeah?"

"You are so going to get sick dude," Gizmo sighed before rubbing his eyes. "I could swear that thing looked less scary when I was working on it," he mumbled.

XVX

Rooftops

It was liberating in its own way. Armed robbers falling to her might and being hauled away when the authorities managed to finally arrive on the scene. In a way it was like living in an old cartoon where the good guys and bad guys were clearly defined. It was nostalgic in a way since not only did that shape her youth, encouraged her even to becoming a kunoichi, but in essence enabled her to be warmed by the memories of years gone by where duty and obligation wasn't so... drastic in nature that made the threat of world domination by anyone seem like a secondary concern in the aftermath.

Then the feelings of comfort and joy get washed out every time by the phantoms of today that continued to haunt her...

She wasn't suppose to be doing this; there was a reason she worn a mask and helmet. Her orders still stood, and she continued to defy them with her original inhibition to the act of vigilantism since coming here... _of_ _doing what's right_ all but nonexistent...

But a new question slowly came to mind much to her mounting horror. "What happens afterwards?" She already imagined the consequence of what would happen if she was found out about her... extracurricular activities: It would most likely involve her being locked up in the same warehouse with that arrogant _nutcase_, whom the counsel was debating on whether or not to immediately promote him to the ranking of jonin _despite_ his treachery and sociopathic tendencies since his return to Konoha, where either one of them could snap and kill the other, not necessarily in that order sadly enough, after being near each other for so long before their mission was deemed a success or failure. What truly scared her was the ramifications of what would happen if they _succeeded_, and somehow returned to Konoha for that matter...

What happens then? She shuddered to think of even the coldest of cordials that would befall their once... comrade...

With a bone weary sigh, she slumped against the brick wall of a roof access as she dully listened to the indistinct conversations of the police below as they gathered up the fallen crooks.

Weary eyes came to a rest as she tried to melt into the wall, her ears were still open for any hints to yet another crime in progress. Hopefully it would be enough to carry her on for the rest of the day if there was one.

Then she felt it... a presence.

It was foreign in terms of sensing. It was almost like her entire soul felt it if she was to describe it... It was definitely not something her senses of the body could perceive.

Whatever it was, it was strong for the lack of a better word. Indomitable even as it moved with purpose. Unfortunately, whatever had caused this strange reaction left as quickly as it came while her mind was abuzz with a strange mechanical chortling.

XVX

Abandoned hotel, an hour later

It took some doing to ensure he had the right building. Pushers of varying types, counterfeit merchandise and drugs alike, were bought off or intimidated accordingly for the information. Various vagabonds, provided he didn't give them a heart attack by his presence alone, yielded loose tongues to him for the same reasons as before. This was the building where a "teen with pink hair and gray skin" was last seen at. There were in actuality eleven goons running the smuggling operation rather than eight as Gizmo had guessed.

They had the normal means of entry (front and back door) blocked off with two guards, basics really with at least four more guards on patrol if not guarding other points of interest while the rest were either resting or ensuring whatever merchandise they were trafficking, presumably weapons, were secured and accounted for if they hadn't performed the latter already. Their leader was noted to be a balding man with a few scars on the right side of his face, like he was attacked by one of the big cats. He was who Naruto now search for. At least it was a first step into looking for the missing mistress of hexes.

With an effortless leap from an adjacent building, he landed on the roof in a roll towards the roof access. It was the only unguarded point to the entire complex, and who was he to ignore it?

He had no trouble in reaching the top floor of the hotel, nor any traversing the halls with the lack of guards on patrol on it.

XVX

_Click._

_Click._

A small flame spurted to life and found purchase on the end of a cigarette. Taking a drag, a small expulsion of smoke laced air left the smoker. "Bloody bastard," he suddenly grumbled. He leaned forward in his seat of a bed as he vigorously rubbed his eyes. He groaned as his door squeaked open. "If it's some bloody punks Myke, tell them no. We may not be doing well but we're not desperate enough to reveal ourselves to the cops," he half heartedly growled without looking, much to his soon regret.

Almost immediately something piled him into the ground and grabbed a hold of his ankle before he had a chance to react. When his eyes were finally brought to bear, he found himself being hung upside down from the edge of a three story building by what appeared to be a skull masked assassin...

"_Move to Jump City, it's nothing like like Gotham_," the dealer grossly mimicked a past conversation to him. "Thank you so much Larry, you dumb bastard..." he mumbled before turning his sights on the skull wearer. "Look kid, you ain't no BatmAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" What started as a criticism turned to an abject scream of terror when his assailant suddenly _dropped_ him without warning and let him plummet _headfirst_ to the expecting ground below.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" His heart, hammering from the fall, came to a sudden jerking halt as did the rest of his body when a hand clasped around his ankle, again, and he found himself on the ledge once more.

"W-what?!" he gasped...

Then it happened... again.

"HOLY SHIT!" he screamed as he neared the ground once more only to be given pardon from the would be execution as a hand grabbed him by the front of his shirt this time before he was brought back to the ledge. Two shaky hands snaked around his assailants arm, more out of survival than a means to attack, when his feet found no haven on the concrete roof. "What the hell do you want?!" he barked in fright, loose bits of saliva flying out with no aim or intention.

"Pink haired teenager, ash gray skin, goes by the name of Jinx; where is she?" The hands that gripped the shinobi's arm with all the more dire urge to protect his life when the skull-wearer dared slacken his grip on the shirt.

"Business has been bad for awhile since some creep in a pinstripe suit moved in! As such we didn't have the quota when that girl came strolling in, so we called in a cop who owed us a favor and he dragged her off to the station down town in hopes that we could buy time before the next one came rolling in!" Teeth gritted and groaned under new pressure when strained eyes caught the deliberately slow grasping of the sword on strapped to the back of the suit. "If you're lying to me..."

A hard gulp ran through the man as his fingers whitened in their death grip...

"Pray that I don't find you next time." As quick as lightning, the sword was drawn and sailed through the air to destroy whatever object set against him that resounded with a audible _"CLANG!"_ in the clash. And to the scarred man's relief, and slight horror, he was propelled from the ledge and into whoever dared to attack his own assailant.

Unfortunately, for him at least, he was launched straight into the awaiting cuffs of the most diligent of the Teen Titans while the rest of which gathered as soon as they could, with Cyborg just arriving by the T-Car in the street as announced by the screeching of its tires.

"I don't know who you are or what you think you're doing, but you're going down pal," Robin gravely spoke with narrowed masked eyes while the dealer disappeared in a shell of Raven's conjuring.

A blue eye narrowed under the helmet. "There's no time for this," he thought to himself... unfortunately chances are they would most likely pursue him by whatever means, or perhaps sheer luck as the case may have been, that they had used to find him so suddenly during his interrogation.

Before their eyes, the entire form of the swordsman flickered out of existence. "Teleportation?" Robin hissed.

"LOOK OUT!"

"GAH! WHAT IS THIS-" Beast Boy screamed as he was enveloped by adhesive goo... disturbingly familiar adhesive goo... "Wait a minute," he muttered as he shifted to a gorilla at first, utterly ignoring the fact the Titans were forced into a confrontation with the swordsman, then to a mouse, then a pigeon before turning back to his default state. "NOT COOL! I'M GOING TO NEED A WIG IF THIS KEEPS UP!" he lamented as he wildly clawed at the sticky substance that was his apparent bane.

"_X?!_" Robin near gasped through gritted teeth as he locked his collapsible staff against the ninjato... the X-suit was still at large, and the suit before him held a few similarities to his design.

Of all things to witness in the heat of battle, the slight tilting of the head to consider how to answer was both bizarre as well as insulting. The sword suddenly came up, and the free hand the swordsman had snatched a formidable patch of Robin's shirt to which he used to lob the Boy Wonder into the path of Starfire as she hoped to surprise Naruto from behind. The shinobi tossed his sword into the air in a high arc towards his right and the owner of it soon black flipped to it in a small series, his hands, when in the air, posed at Raven and firing round after round of the constrictive grayed Xs. Raven on her part, hovering beyond the lip of the building's edge for relative safety, hurled bolts of energy at the shinobi originally and held back only when Robin was at risk of being hit instead, now turned her powers to defend herself as the possible Red-X, or a mimic for that matter based on the current design and armament of the suit, fired round after round of her own respective bane. A shield was conjured into existence to take the brunt of the assault of the Xs that sought to silence her. Her barrier was reinforced when a new trick was added to the barrage of mounting failed restrictive Xs, explosives were thrown in with the seemingly endless horde that continued to test her wall.

"Starfire!" Orange hands clasped around gloved ones, Robin soon twirled around his teammate as she swung him around and hurled him at the skull masked intimidator as he finally came to a stop and accepted the falling japanese sword with masterful skill. In midflight Robin outstretched a leg in a flying kick at the rapidly approaching, standing still thug. His blow never landed as their current foe once again flickered away and reappeared on the roof's edge with his hand brought into a half closed fist while the index and middle finger stood straight. Immediately he was enveloped by smoke for but a second before he burst out of it to barrel straight at Raven with his open palm brought to bear. A wall of mysticism met open palm in a futile charge on the darkest of the Titans, but it did not hinder the intimidator as he propelled himself away with the use of his own failed assault, land on the building's edge and launch himself at her again in a simple minded attack... It was suspicious to say the least to Raven.

From the top of the cloud that had yet to dissipate, a second figure leapt out with unprecedented velocity while another charged towards the still standing Titans much to their brief shock. Starbolts were let loose on their thuggish skull wearer followed closely by a small spread of explosives disks while Raven wrestled with the brief perturbation upon realizing she face not one but two exact replicas of their opponent. Her barrier quickly turned into a bubble as she sought to distance herself from the two, only one backed off after his latest failed assault while the other landed directly on top of her cocoon. He raised his sword high and brought it down in a fruitless endeavor to force her barrier open.

"Azarath Metrion-" The sword was brought high once again and quickly cloaked by a wispy substance that rapidly grew in intensity to the point where the entire blade was covered in it what appeared to be a miniaturized hurricane before it was loosed upon her defenses again. Her protective barrier folded like a house of cards to a honed guillotine. With her concentration broken, she plummeted to the ground in a shriek with her respective 'partner' following now that he had no support to keep him aloft. In the corner of her eye, she noticed he sheathed his sword and folded his arms to the sides, but with the ground fast approaching her concerns were elsewhere than an idle detail. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos! Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" she chanted as she tried to make her powers manifest without the taint of her fear seeping into it. It was failing fast as the ground concrete ground encompassed her vision and her thoughts that the act of a pair of arms encircling her went unnoticed.

Violet eyes clenched shut just before the impact as her tense body braced for the impact. It was only to be expected that her locked muscles resisted the sudden change while a pair of arms... wait, arms? Her eyes flew open to greet the blue sky with clouds lazily drifting by while someone continued to shift her about in whomever's grip she was in, thought admittedly it was on the uncomfortable side since the movements were a bit jerky. The clash of metal and grunting brought her attention to her left where her friends battle duplicates of their original contender... On a hunch, she hesitantly swiveled her gaze to her right where she was met with the grinning skull of her apparent savior. A door slammed open, robbing both of them of their attention while Naruto sharply turned around to face the roof access to find Cyborg had finally arrived.

"Sorry I'm late yall! Who's the baddie-" Cyborg stopped and stared at the helmeted thug, then at Raven as she stared back at him with eyes widened in the same amount of confusion that befuddled him, then back at the unknown shinobi who was apparently holding Raven in a bridal style, then back to Raven herself as she was presented to him almost like a gift.

"Uh... thanks?" he dumbly said, completely unsure how to react as he accepted a confused, and now annoyed, Raven. His confounded state persisted still when the skull helmeted shinobi before him grabbed the door's edge, gestured "goodbye" to the both of them, and promptly slammed the door hard enough to elicit a instinctual need to step back... into the staircase that originally brought him up there. "AAARGH!"

Even Naruto couldn't help but snicker as he virtually webbed the door shut with a series of restrictive Xs while listening to the muffled vows of vengeance Cyborg was blaring during his 'descent' to the bottom of the stairwell. Unfortunately the chortling died quickly upon remembering that he had Raven with him... whom he hadn't silenced...

Best to end this quickly before the ramifications were made manifest.

Making use of the teleportation function of the belt, he appeared above Starfire as she attempted to maul her opponent with Starbolt enhanced blows. With a quick back step, she avoided the ambush from the real Naruto while his counterpart deftly side stepped shinobi as he landed in a crouch in order to continue his fight with the tamaranean. The double ducked under an over handed blow from the alien and brought his sword up in a cleaving motion as if to take the arm off in one blow. The duplicate of a sword however broke itself as the force of the blow shattered the 'blade' against the seemingly impervious skin of the tamaranean, and with the sudden break of its form the clone dissipated into a cloud of smoke announced by the audible "poof!" of its ended existence.

Yet like the smoke that heralded its original creation, it was used as a means to hide another tactic altogether. "Rasengan!" A swirling blue ball smashed into the alien princess' gut with a force far greater than she could anticipate that not only drove the concept of air out of her body but also hurled her into and through the wall of the building behind her, her face along with her body contorting in agony as both were driven from the helmeted shinobi.

"STARFIRE!" Robin cried in both shock and horror as he gaped at the evident damage the "Rasengan" did with no telling of Starfire actual damage... but judging from her face, the power of the blow was considerable indeed for her to actually _show_ pain. His slip of attention however was ill-fated as the duplicate he faced struck out. The blow landed him onto his back with his legs curled up towards his chest that sprung out in a flip that set him upright once more with one hand at the ready with explosive disks while the other was armed with his birdarangs.

But no one was there. At least no enemies at least as Beast Boy continued to struggled against his 'bonds' all the while trying to crane his head far back enough to see what had happened. Cyborg stormed back to the rooftop with Raven not far behind while the former mashed his teeth together with his sonic cannon at the ready. Even Starfire, much to his relief, floated back to the impromptu rendezvous. Though a frown did mark him when she gingerly held the spot in which she been assaulted. Though the cracks of her fingers as they sought to shield the undoubtedly tender area, he could swear he saw the distinct darkening of the skin where her own equivalent of a bruise was forming...

Further marked in trepidation at how lethal their latest opponent could be, Robin marched forward only to find himself halting at a hastily written message for him... if it could be called that.

The words "Red X" were crossed out and sitting next to it, in a thick as can be underline that could be made in a single stroke of the sword sat one word: "Grave."

The latex of his glove deeply squeaked upon the clenching of the Boy Wonder's hand

XVX

Interrogation room, Police Station, twenty minutes later

"How many times am I going to see you here for petty theft and the like?" a lone officer grumbled as he helped himself to a cigarette despite the presence of a teenager. Jinx either didn't take offence to it or plainly didn't care as she leisurely nibbled on an apple slice. "Probably in the triple digits by the time either of us die from old age," she retorted. The officer across from her scoffed before taking another drag from his unhealthy pastime. "Brat," he muttered. "Glad to see you too," she cheerily retorted.

Sergeant Jack Conners, possibly the only police officer in Jump City who wore the traditional style of a police uniform, minus a hat to cover his brown haired head, as opposed to the black and white armor and helmets most JCP (Jump City Police) members worn for both every day duty and in some cases private practice. Such 'uniforms' were a common sight, though varying in design most of the time but not in concept, in cities where known super powered beings were located. The only hint to this peculiarity in terms of uniform regarding Sergeant Connors was the fact he transferred from a different city altogether that lack any known conflict between heroes and villains but wasn't any less mean in its own right. Aviator sunglasses and unkempt facial hair of a few days old were but a detail to this man.

He was also the only police officer, perhaps in the entire history of the world that they at least knew of, who had something resembling a positive relationship with a villain without being considered on the take of whatever said villain was offering. Of course there were a few who dared... none of which were heard from again since transferring to other precincts.

"So what's this about getting into some kind of beef with those kids that live in the T tower thing?" he drawled. "Just a job we did as graduates. Beat them up, took over their home for the fun of it, that sort of thing," she replied with a smirk as she finished off her slice. Her smirk grew to a grin upon the scoff and the roll of the eyes she received from the man before her followed closely by the slow shake of the head.

"AARGH!"

Both jerked their heads to the door as quickly as the scream pierced through it followed shortly by short bursts of gunfire as officers grabbed whatever was available to defend themselves.

"GAAH!"

Unfortunately whatever the reason that called for deadly force seemed to be tearing them apart. A hand suddenly shunted itself into the hex mistress' view, courtesy of Officer Conners, as he slowly rose from his seat and manned the side of the door with his glasses left behind on the table. Gun drawn, he edged the door open and dared a careful peek inside the hall. "Psycho with a sword," he half growled lowly.

"What?!" Jinx's mouth clamped shut with the curt raising of a finger to silence her as a fresher, though duller, wave of gunfire erupted from the depths of the station followed shortly by the same guttural cries of officers meeting their demise. "Seems whoever's doing this is heading deeper inside, unless this guy has company with him moving elsewhere then the front door is clear. Go!"

"But-" Jinx tried to argue.

"Go!" he lowly ordered as he stepped into the hall in a crouch. Hesitantly Jinx followed Jinx followed into the hall and paled. The hall itself was clear... it was the one adjacent to it that held the bisected and slashed corpses that Officer Conners seemed to masterfully ignore as he rounded the corner in his crouch-walk. Whatever went through these fallen officers seemed to have done the deed in one blow...

Taking a deep breath she muscled through the disgust of the horror brought on by seeing entrails left out in the open and blood to be pooled where gravity dictated as she rounded the corner opposite of what Conners took. Her movement only halted when another battery of gunfire was let loose on whatever murderer that entered the precinct...

She risked a glance to the small flicker of movement that was Jack rounding another corner behind her before cursing herself and breaking out in a dead run to the front of the police station and the freedom that awaited from there. In her break for freedom she leapt over corpses and overturned tables alike, either tossed by the scuffle that took some of the officers by surprise or used as a failed means of a shield against the bladed weapon their attacker used on them. "Damn it," she verbally quaked. "This is the sort of thing to be expected in a place like Gotham or something," she whispered to herself as she passed a headless receptionist at the front, possibly the first of the victims judging the distance between the chair the corpse sat in and the table he, or she, once manned before trying to survive the attack with a backwards dash in the wheeled chair. Jinx shook her head as she pushed herself out the door and into the evening casted world of Jump City proper. In mid run she stopped and glanced back at the station with a pensive , unsure grimace as her advance was stilled with the conflicting decisions of returning in a bid to help Jack Conners and outright fleeing as per his wish as he faced a homicidal maniac who distinctively made it clear of how much he regarded the law.

Finger nails threatened to pierce her skin as she turned her back to the station and prepared to continue her flight from the slaughterhouse the station had become when her eyes landed on a disturbing figure considering her forced circumstances. A masked man in a dark suit with a grinning skull plastered onto the front and two swords, sheathed, as his obvious choice in weapons. It was enough to have her hitch her breath and jump back in sheer fright of what may come.

She gave the silent being a once over once more in mild hopes of spotting some sort of weakness she could exploit or even a telltale strength she could be wary of as her mind screamed for her to run, It wasn't until she spotted the weathered bandaged grip and the blank talisman that hung from what appeared to be a katana that her mind came to a stop and indulged a shaky guess. "N-Nar-..." she bite her lip to stop herself as she made the quick realization she was about to do. He was wearing a mask after all. "Yūrei?"

"It appears I don't have to bust you out after all," he rasped as he casually rest his hand on the sword's hilt. All at once the worries of what happened was forgotten as the weight of the world left her shoulders as she surprised him with a leaping hug. It was just Naruto, the usually quiet shinobi in what looked to be a altered X-suit armed with his two... swords...

And what peace there was died in a vicious death as the one eyed ninja's armament brought back her panic. Grabbing his shoulders, only to let go in favor of snagging a hand by the snap decision of a frantic mind. "Come on!" she cried as she desperately tried to drag the confused shinobi towards the station. "Some psycho with a sword is cutting the place up and Officer Conners went to stop this guy so we-"

"_Calm down_." Even through a synthesizer, it sounded as forceful as the counter tug Naruto gave regarding Jinx's pulling earning a bewildered stare from the pink hexxer. "Now explain what's going on."

Lips trembled as a myriad of emotions stormed through her and fought for dominance even after a deep breath was taken to calm herself down, yet trepidation and some annoyance crept through despite the attempt. "There's a cop here known as Officer Conners that I have known for years... he's always been good to me and looked out for me where he could. He's a tough old buzzard but right now he's facing some maniac swinging a sword around and taking out anyone who happens to be unlucky enough to come across the guy!" Ashen fingers tightened against the leather in a silent plea while a tempest of emotions swirled within her.

"Summer Hotel, room Three-Oh-Nine." Ashen fingers slackened and lost their grip in surprise when the ninja advanced passed her without further explanation. "Uh..." She swiveled her head over her shoulder to ensure she wasn't dreaming, that Naruto was indeed heading towards the precinct. He was actually already at the door by the time she looked over. "Uh... right... Summer Hotel it is then..." she mumbled to herself in a daze.

As for Naruto, he was already scrutinizing the carnage the minute he would through the doors. The speculation of someone using a sword were indeed valid, but what was curious was the scorch marks that ran along the edges of both furniture and even the walls that seemed to have been recklessly cleaved into. An augmented weapon of some sort? Perhaps; a normal sword, even with training to the point of mastery over it, would've broken after so many forced swings against reinforced things such as a brick wall let alone leave in a relatively neat arc as evidence. But what type of sword, specially designed or not, scorched the surfaces of relatively plebian things but not armor en masse? Some of the bodies were hacked to bits as if an ordinary-

Then he felt it. A pronounced presence even those who were not trained in the specialized trait of sensing could detect: Chakra spiking as it was being molded. A malicious chakra to be exact that he was all too familiar with.

Sasuke Uchiha. Somehow Naruto just wasn't surprised that the "Avenger" would make the first... move, nor that his first move would entail bloodshed and ruin. Was it to draw Naruto out? In all likelihood that may have been the plan, but he wouldn't put it past him to react badly to whatever question or demand he was turned down on...

Patience nor politeness was ever a virtue to regard him as, even before he went traitor.

XVX

Before he was learned of, Jack Conners managed to glean at least one telltale detail to the psychotic teenager that tore his way through to the file room: His left arm was debilitated, at least on the muscular level. That and he apparently couldn't read english which in effect rendered his ability to find the file room as curious, but that was a moot point that possibly bordered on luck. The skin was as flawless as can be, but whatever object held within its grip either had to be quickly (re)claimed by his right arm nor was it able to fully grip anything without a conscious effort on the teen's part.

In any case, it gave him an advantage. While one handed strikes, even if wielding a large blade unfit for confined spaces, were certainly quicker in principle as opposed to stronger when wielded by two hands, in this boy's circumstance it was a potentially fatal weakness if he only had one arm to defend, attack, or do anything else. Of course for Officer Conners that was a cold comfort when he discovered a disturbing ability that sought to mow him down much like his now dead comrades and the office furniture that was either nicked by accident or used as a failed shield: This teenager, possible metahuman, was generating electricity through his sword that was impeded by his surroundings much like a tank is impeded by a chain link fence; the file room along with the hallways and other rooms their 'battle' went through proved no great deterrent to the electrified sword.

"_Hold still!_" the teen hissed as he slashed at the officer once again. A third noticeable trait Jack had noticed about the teen as he was forced to spend most of his time dodging the electric blade and sneaking in what disorientating blows he could land thanks to the undefended side the kid had before retreating: He only spoke japanese, one of six languages that Jack Conner was able act as a translator for. It may not seem much, but it was a strong enough detail for the police officer to formulate a hypothesis. If this teen was japanese then judging between his aggression and the fact he was wielding a sword, chokuto to be precise, he had some roots or connection to the samurai culture. Now between all that it entailed, both cultural heritage of both training and the pride that went with it (which may have been a key factor as to what started the teen's rampage) as well as the power that was youth (to which the thought made the fleeing officer cringe for reasons unknown to all but himself), combined with the more elemental enhancements, he had to fight outright dirty to win. Yet in order to win, he had to first survive his unsuccessful ambush and flee to the armory.

The boy however was far more than determined to see to it he didn't live to see tomorrow.

Lashing out in a vertical kick in his charge, the sandaled foot successfully struck the back of the retreating officer who couldn't get in an edgewise with his pistol throughout the fight and chase. A vicious grin adorned the features of Sasuke Uchiha as he jammed his sword into the floor, an apparently in effective weapon since the buffoon seemed to be favored by luck to have dodged him so far, and lets it sink into the ground as the remnants of his chakra did what it was supposed to be good at while his good hand was brought up in a familiar set of seals that were almost a second nature to him.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"

"Water Release: Gunshot!"

"What?!" Sasuke exclaimed as the two attacks collided with the subtlety of clashing locomotives, it was also the same question shared by Officer Conners upon finding himself not in the room in which the chase had taken him to by sheer instinct, not to mention the fire need to not be filleted, but the hallway adjacent to the room now enveloped by a heavy mist. The man slammed himself against the wall and slammed a fresh clip into his pistol as he dared peek about the corner to peer into the all consuming mist. From inside, the teenage "samurai descendant" met something that both elicited a disgusted grunt that started as an acknowledge of whatever he detected in the haze to being ended as a groan of anguish as a fist met flesh. The dark haired swordsman flew out of the haze and harshly crashed into an already damaged desk beneath a bay window while something inside the cloud rung out in a metallic snap.

"How _dare_ you, you pathetic worm! It's obvious these uncouth peasants don't know who I am, but an Anbu like you, even from another world, should know who I am without me having to waste my time to announce myself!" Sasuke snarled in feral indignation as he struggled to stand up with the use of one good arm while the other could barely hold its own weight. "I will see to it that whatever council this lands has will destroy you for even _considering_ harming-"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Even as an unintended target, Jack had to hang onto the ledge as if his life depended on it as a sudden roar of wind blasted against the arrogant slayer and hurtled him through the window alongside the mist created from the failed fire attack. At least Jack now had a visual to the latest participant of this encounter.

"One cyborg ninja wasn't enough apparently," he mumbled as he mentally noted all the features he could see, including the snapped chokuto with half the blade still jutting from the ground.

"Freeze! Hands up in the air!" Reinforcements, undoubtedly gathering in the street below to apprehend the teen that was cast out of the building, but seemed closed enough to permit one of the officers to be heard through a megaphone. In any case, Conners doubted the 'ninja' planned to stay long as he approached the smashed window.

"Hold it!" At last he seemed to finally have earned the attention of the skull masked shinobi as he stopped a quarter from the window from his spot. The officer's muscled tensed only slightly with the slight shifting of the helmeted head of the 'samurai's' assailant as if, even when armed, Conners wasn't held in high regard in any form be it good or ill. Snapping his eyes to the broken sword, he asked only one question, "Friend or foe?"

"Neither." Gunfire erupted once more from the ground below as Sasuke apparently made a move the officers below didn't like, reason enough for Naruto to move. Without giving the man another look, Conner from what the badge had said given his brief glimpse of it in the passing, he dove after Sasuke in a clear leap through the man sized hole.

"What next?" Jack rhetorically asked as he slowly drew out another cigarette and a lighter. He knew the curse associate with the question when spoken in a manner, but more often than not something happened regardless if the question was asked. "Attention all units! Possible mutant responsible for the massacre at Precinct Fifty is at Briars Avenue, right in front of the station! Strange purple bone-like apparitions are manifesting around him! Repeat, bone-like apparitions are manifesting around him like a ribcage! Standard weapons cannot get through-!"

A groan escaped the man as he ran to the nearest exit, but it wasn't the reported trouble that caused the misery to manifest. Pauses were _never_ a good sign on the radio.

"All units on alert! Suspect has disappeared! Repeat, suspect is gone!"

_"Fuck!"_

**A/N: ****To those who may dispute the idea of a bruise forming on Starfire upon being hit with a Rasengan, here is my reasoning****: There is no defined limited as to its strength as far as I can tell. Like when it was first introduced to us and in the anime Jiraiya used it to take down a civilian (thuggish gangster (by attitude at least) type) and it simply knocked the guy at least a few feet away while another demonstration of this ability shortly afterwards Jiraiya shown he could destroy several walls in a neat row by using the Rasengan on only the first wall. While true Starfire, physiologically speaking, is most likely to withstand the effects of a Rasengan with more minimized damaged compared to it being applied to wall or even a trained ninja for that matter, I believe that the more experienced someone is with the Rasengan (such as Jiraiya for example) the more likely said someone can dictate how much damage can be placed in one blow.**

**That's my reasoning at least. While there are Rasengan moves derived from the original technique, I'd say at their base their weakest attack strength may possibly be at least half the suspected strength (or at worse their lowest attack strength is the full suspected strength of the original) of a fully charged Rasengan used by an experienced practitioner not to mention the fact that the other models are essentially more lethal in their intentions whereas the original move is more utilitarian in comparison.**

**Again, as far as I know at least, there is no accurate measurement as to the full strength of a normal Rasengan.**

**And to those who I may have accidently confused about Sasuke being a suspected samurai****: I was making a reference to the pride often associated with samurai during the days when many dreamed to be one or at least envied them. The slightest infraction to their pride often warranted some kind of brutal retribution in return as more hot headed members of the class had doubtlessly immortalized enough to be projected into current media today. And in Conner's situation, wouldn't you say it would be a reasonable hypothesis to come to when someone isn't even bothering to hide his trail as he chases after the current target of his frustrations?**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! And please, no flames.**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	8. Learning a truth

**I do not own Naruto, Teen Titans, nor any other element that may or may not appear in this story! This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

Silent as the...

Chapter 5: Learning a truth

Docks, Jump City, twenty minutes later

Sewers were always a mix between a blessing and a curse for society as a whole. Ideally, the modern day sewer was to transport waste water, among other things, to a treatment plant the system was designed for to which the affected water was treated before being released for use. Yet older sewers and designs weren't necessarily that sanitary in their use or design as a number of their portals lead directly to the ocean amongst other things by design or by accident as time progressed. With the fact that sewers in general are built to accommodate people within them, namely for the purpose to perform maintenance where able, that enabled people from all walks of life to use them to escape whatever pursued them...

This was not necessarily true for Sasuke Uchiha as he was thrown out of one such entrance sporting an ugly purple bruise on his cheek, a shuriken he had yet to remove from his left shoulder, a cut to the stomach made evident by the torn clothing indicating such a cut as well as the blood that stained the clothing around it, and a sneering scowl directed at the one who abused him so as he nonchalantly stepped out from the shadows with a kunai in hand. "You have a death wish, don't you scum?!" Sasuke roared. His good hand gingerly clasped itself around his wound with a hiss of acknowledgement on his part while his feet spread out on the concrete dock to which this sewer lead to.

If he was aware of what Sasuke said, the "Anbu" did nothing to show it as he slipped into the kunai pouch to produce another of the knives to be held tightly in his grip as he continued to advance with unerring fluidity and purpose with what Sasuke could imagine a murderous, _arrogant_ gleam behind the skull-helmet that most punks would adopt to compensate for their lack of true skills and power, not to mention hide in the darkness to mask their movements to which his mangeko sharingan had a hard time tracking thanks to the darkness of the tunnel and the shading of the suit he bore where his "skull" stuck out the most to taunt him into giving it his attention while he was forced to give ground. Hiding in the dark and using deceptions to fool the powerful, the tactics only cowards and wretches like _him_ used to _ever_ have a chance against the elite of the world.

"I'm going to teach you your place before I drag you to your council to get your just punishment," Sasuke snarled with as much spite he could toss out. His good hand whipped away from the cut, now being favored by his more deteriorated hand, and coated it in what started out as but a handful of sparks dancing along the skin of his hand and fingers that quickly grew in intensity much like the sudden dropping an oiled rag to a flame. Birds, dozens upon dozens, seemed to chirp in chorus as an odd aftermath of the lightning that crackled in the knife of a hand stance. "CHIDORI!" Sasuke screamed, bolting upon doing so with the obvious intent of impaling his enemy regardless of his stated intentions earlier. His eyes had long locked onto the target with perfect precision that the onset blurriness couldn't hope to shake him from completing his bloody desire that fast approached his doom as the fool continued his pace, either overconfident in his own ability much like the ignorant peasant he doubtlessly was or actually owning up to the wrongs he had committed against an Uchiha.

The shinobi before him however sidestepped at the last minute despite the odds stacked against him and brought his elbow into the chest of the 'Avenger,' effectively robbing Sasuke of the concentration needed to maintain the chirping lightning covering his hand, and quickly slashing him with the kunai that limb held in a reverse grip which successfully landed a neat cut diagonally along the bicep of the arm.

XVX

Precinct Fifty

Of the Five Titans, Only Robin, Starfire, and Raven dared to enter the butcher house the Police Station had become. Beast Boy had not the fortitude to enter after seeing the first set of bodies in the main lobby, and Cyborg was just as unaccustomed to seeing mass death dispensed so freely without regard of who was at the other end of the blade. It was for the best in Robin's mind. Raven, by her very nature, was able to detach herself enough not to be drastically affected by the carnage that surrounded her to where she could freely walk and talk to others with only some resistance. Starfire, by her warrior people's background, most likely had been trained enough or worse yet partook in enough death to have a higher degree of tolerance to the loss of life around her. And then there was Robin himself... being the protégé of Batman wasn't without some perks for better or worse.

To Robin, it was just like one of the more darker days in Gotham when one of the madmen of Arkham got loose. It was a day at work with but a pit in his stomach that took a conscious effort to keep it uncomfortable at the worse for him. All that was missing was a man in a bat motif, cape, and bat-like cowl searching for answers that would lay hidden to the normal eye while the Police, in general, were... on break as it were.

There were survivors however to this massacre, officers that barricaded themselves into the rooms that the cop killer hadn't had time to near before being cast out as well as a debatably lucky few that the now broken chokuto hadn't quite ended as its wielder had thought in his passing. Those men and women were evacuated to the nearest ambulance as soon as they were found.

Unfortunately, being a Police Station, the JCPD had already combed through the area with a fine toothed comb to not only catalogue this latest perpetrator but to get the station back up as soon as possible while tending to the dead as respectfully as they could under the stress. The sword in question, broken down by a second assailant, had been confiscated to get fingerprints and find whatever company or weapons dealer (or maker for that matter) had created it to narrow down the suspects list thus leaving Robin with only two things to do: Search for the killer and review the only evidence the Police could give him on such short notice. So far the team held no luck in finding the slayer as of yet as the Titans searched through their own respective means to tracking; the black spiky haired teenager in a white collared shirt, opened at the front slightly, with dark blue pants and a shroud held up by a purple rope for a belt, and open toed blue sandals vanished without a trace. With the search all but a bust, the Boy Wonder had to content himself with viewing what videos that were readily copied for him.

Or more specifically he viewed the footage containing the last known appearance of the murderer in question.

"What am I missing...?" he mumbled as he rewound the video to the last instance of the sword-less killer, surrounded in what appeared to be a ghastly phantasm of bones starting with a purple ribcage and growing from there despite the combined assault of more than two dozen officers firing upon it, was simply standing there bearing a contemptuous look on his sneering face... and then he was just _gone_. "Wait a minute..." Robin rewound the video again and put it through a slow telling of events...

Eyes narrowed as what would normally be unnoticed became as clear as day. A pair of leather-bound hands seamlessly slipped through the asphalt, grabbed the teenager by the ankles much to the latter's surprise and shock even, and dragged him to the underneath while the other instinctively tried to claw his way to freedom despite the much greater force that kidnapped him in the blink of an eye. With a flick of the switch, a sudden suspicion was confirmed- there was a sewer that ran underneath Briars Avenue.

Was it a second accomplice to all this? Or was it Red-... _Grave_ that took him? He was reported and even recorded to be in the precinct as well though seemed to bear no allegiance to disarmed swordsman as made evident between attacking him and the latter seemed to have threaten the former for doing so... But it wouldn't be the first time anyone fell for what could very well be an act so to speak, or rather a clash between what turned out to be allies with conflicting views. In any event, they now had a lead...

XVX

Docks

In a narrow alley of shipping containers, what could be called a battle took place...

**_BAM!_**

The scream of pain and rage was only dulled when the hand pressing into the back of Sasuke's skull tried to force his head to sink deeper into the now dented steel container. Fingers suddenly tightened their grip on both hair and flesh alike and yanked the snarling head back only to slam it back into the wall. Sasuke's leg lashed out in a desperate attempt to shake off his assailant. His attacker didn't even budge when the kick landed, it seemed to didn't have even half the strength the Uchiha thought it had. With no choice with air becoming more and more of a much needed demand as his opponent continued to mash his face against the container's wall, Sasuke's good arm snapped into action and sought to counteract the opposition by placing his hand against the very barrier that suffocated him and pushing from there while his debilitated arm made a poor copy of the same attempt.

A poor decision.

As if it was exactly what he was waiting for, a kunai, of the pair that was held within the skull wearer's grip for the past few minutes, tore through flesh, muscle, bone, and dug into steel itself as a means to literally pin Sasuke in place. "_You insignificant bastard_!" Even through an impromptu muzzle, Sasuke's hate fueled cry was clear enough to be understand, and effectively ignored when the second kunai found itself embedded in its new gushing home with a steel floor.

"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I'LL MAKE WHATEVER HELL YOU ARE SENT TO A PARADISE ONCE I'M DONE!" Sasuke roared as he wildly jerked about, his head free with the calm release of it, as he sought to turn about despite the situation he was in and the damage he inflected onto himself while he turned a baleful eye to the 'Anbu' as the evolved sharingan spun just as malevolently. Unfortunately as the most he could only see what may have been the ninjato's handle as opposed to the scum himself who seemed to have moved towards Sasuke's left.

"_Sayonara_." The sole representative of his clan perked his ears as the distinctive burst of chakra presented itself... and his eyes widened in horror as his mind caught onto the _exact_ position he is in as well as who he had faced...

It was that _wretched genin_! "NARUTO!" It was just like him to use cowardly tactics as well as harm his superiors in both lineage and battle!

"_Rasengan_," Naruto all but whispered through the synthesizer as he shoved the mass of chakra into the defenseless back of his once teammate.

"AAAAAAAAAARGH!" In such a confined space, bones had virtually no choice _but_ to break as the Uchiha's body became flush with the dented container wall. Under such power, even a steel container requiring a dock side crane to move it had little choice _but_ to slide away at great velocity. But not a word, screech, or even moan escaped the true victim who was stuck frozen in a soundless scream, stuck so after the initial blow, even when the container smashed into the dock's raised edge, tipped over due to the momentum, and fell into the waters darkened by the fading sunlight with a splash befitting the size and speed of the hulk of metal with an unwitting passenger.

"_Damn it_, I'll go after him!" An X palmed glove casually gripped the katana's handle and drawn it just as quickly while he turned to a pair of figures on a equivalent to a roof for a wall consisting of three of such containers stacked upon each other and crammed side by side by several other units, one of whom quickly jumped overhead and madly dashed to save the Uchiha stuck to the container.

"Neji," Naruto quietly identified as the other continued to look down at him with paler than usual features, veins pulsating around his eyes, and eyes widened to the limit to take in everything it saw before it. Even the tranquil raising of the sword in challenge to him.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised given that you have been gone for three years, and change is doubtlessly to occur within such a lengthy period... and it would explain how you were able to avoid a good number of us when you did return..." Neji uttered as he landed on the ground, his body betraying the slightest signs of a the uneasiness begot from the everything his eyes perceived almost against his will, and slide into his juken stance. "But there's no way to deny it, nothing short of this could convince me that you have _that_ behind that piece of cloth on your head." Chakra enhanced eyes hardened and a scowl of the utmost indignity creased itself upon Neji as he stared at his sword wielding opponent. "_How_ did you get it?" he demanded quietly.

"Suffice it to say, Konoha has a _long_ history of betraying those that served it or saw to better it from what it is." At an unseen command, the Hyuga charged at Naruto with his arms held at the sides. He only made it half way before the rogue of Konoha _vanished_ by whatever means he had that didn't require the shunshin technique though it bore some resemblance in principle. Instead, in Naruto's place, came his former sensei Might Guy in a flying kick for where Naruto's head would've been a second before. With a minute grunt, Neji ducked under the jonin and skidded but a couple of feet before turning and catching up to his ex-sensei as the latter entered his stance of the strong fist.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Guy suddenly apologized without leading his gaze away from the one wearing a helmet of a grinning skull when he reappeared at the end which Neji once held and advanced slowly from there. "I went out searching as soon as saw the note and got changed. Has he been found yet?"

"Kakashi is rescuing the Uchiha from a watery death as we speak if that is what you mean," Neji replied sternly. A glance was risked on Guy's behalf to Neji in mild hopes of learning the reasoning towards Neji's sudden abrasiveness by proxy of the grimness of Neji's answer. His attention was returned to the skull-faced shinobi walking a more brisk pace toward them with his hand stiffly at his side while the sword bearing hand was strangle-

It took a moment to recognize the blank charm on the katana, his recognition easily marked by the hitch of his breath by the surprise turn of events for him. "It gets worse," Neji tersely spoke upon catching his sensei's sudden conclusion. "He has..." Teeth clenched as he forcibly swallowed the growing urge to spit out bile. "He somehow attained the _byakugan_ and implanted in his left eye!" Horror stricken eyes enlarged before contracting to their normal setting hardened by battle and control over one's self.

"While it's no sharingan, that makes things all the more difficult." Combining the cumulated experiences between training and sparring sessions with his former student, and a similar set of experiences with his "eternal rival," and adding in the factor of the unknown that was Naruto's skill set as of late alongside his brutality exhibited by Sasuke's forcible return to the village... he was at minimum facing what could very well be a fight for his life if he got overconfident. The only silver lining in all this for Might Guy was the fact that his preference in combat at most called for cunning as opposed to stealth, the latter of which would be all but useful in a fight against a byakugan; there was no way to sneak up on the user of the white eye without either tiring him out or outright outwitting the user. How Naruto obtained the famed eye of the Hyuga clan would have to come later if at all.

Fists and hands tightened in their own respective stances when their former comrade finally deemed it time to barrel towards them with his free hand arched back, his chakra spiking and gathering in his hand. "That's not all I had obtained from the Hyuga clan over the years," Naruto spoke ominously through the synthesizer.

On a hunch, a disturbing one at that, Neji broke from the loose ranks to head off the shinobi-runaway with his own counter attack in what would be a test of might in Neji's mind to prove his sickening hypothesis correct or not. If at worst it was a sick joke of a drawn out rasengan, the concept of his family's eye, the same one the world of shinobi coveted to the point where it robbed the lives of his own family, would rest well within his mind by comparison. Unfortunately it seemed that despite the current build of chakra that would normally rob most shinobi of the ability to perform other jutsus, if any, due to the concentration required for the completion of the act be it a success or failure, Naruto was fully capable of pulling off what could be this world's version of the shunshin before he and Neji clashed.

From his own spot, Guy spun himself around with what would be a devastating right hook only for his fist to pass through air. His leg kicked into action in a reverse roundhouse to catch the helmeted blond only to miss again due to whatever ability Naruto came across.

"_Eight Trigrams_-"

"_No!_" In a dead sprint driven ever so passionately of what was to come, Neji ran to his former sensei as he spun abour once more to attack Naruto as he thrust out his own hand...

"_Mountain Crusher_."

In an explosion of light, an explosion of sound, and an explosion of air, Might Guy was buffeted by an attack that countless others fell prey to by Hyuga hands...

"How?" Neji queried to only himself. Granted he learned of such techniques, the first of which borne from years of harbored contempt of the main house of his clan and careful analyzing when the techniques were ever performed or at least heard of, despite his origin as a branch family member to which was normally deprived of such attacks... but this was too farfetched for him. It was one thing to bear the dojutsu of his clan, but even people who had the fortune of using them weren't ever graced with the techniques associated with the Hyuga fighting style! They had to be-

"Suffice it to say, Konoha has a _long_ history of betraying those that served it or saw to better it from what it is." His own blood ran could at the implication brought on by both Naruto and his own mind that sought answers while his former sensei was blown away to suffer a landing along the wall of containers regardless of Neji's intervention or not in the matter. "A Hyuga was in the Blood Prison?" he thought in a sickening query. It didn't seem possible to him... yet it was the only answer he had that could make any sense... Naruto was in Hōzuki-jō for three years whereas the time it took for him to come back to Konoha after the mass prison break was two months. Three years that only Naruto could account for versus two months an investigation team could be sent to retrace his steps... Yet that didn't explain how a Hyuga ended up in that prison.

Regretfully for Neji, it was a mystery to pursue at another time, for Naruto was coming right at him with his sword raised-

_Ghck!_

In confusion he looked down at his own chest to find the gleaming steel of a katana poking out of it. "When did-" Naruto's charged slowed to a virtual stroll towards the stabbed Hyuga jonin.

"A shadow clone?" he audibly asked in a rhetorical fashion despite the mild realization. He barely smirked as he took a moment to figure out how Naruto pulled it off. Revealing the fact he had at least some knowledge of Hyuga techniques, to which Neji could only ponder in disquieted thoughts as to how Naruto came to learn them, Naruto was able to force Neji's attention to Might Guy for fear of learning the disturbing truth of the matter. Using whatever means he had to substitute the shunshin while Neji was on alert for the attack on his sensei, and avoiding Guy for that matter, Naruto must have used his own charged hand to create a shadow clone...

Without warning, the blood now soaked in Neji's blood came out which sent the jonin to his knees from bloodloss and the ramifications of the strike itself. "Know this." Weakly, Neji rose his head up to look Naruto in the eye, the former's byakugan canceled to conserve energy. "While I have no interest in slaying anyone, do not believe I won't spill blood if you continue to pursue me." With that he was gone via the copy of the shunshin he plagued them with, effectively leaving Neji to bleed and Might Guy to peal himself from his makeshift prison that was an indent in the wall...

XVX

Room 309, Summer Hotel 

The ramen supply had been completely pillaged long before Jinx had arrived and effectively regrouped with her friends. However she didn't arrive soon enough to prevent two bored teenagers from rummaging through Naruto's things that were left out in the open so to speak.

"What do you suppose this is?" Mammoth asked as he intently stared at a picture frame guarding what appeared to be a decrepit piece of paper, stained by age and who knew what else, bearing the lettering of the land Naruto hailed from. "I got no idea; I can't read japanese!" Gizmo grumbled as he stared at it too by the power of whatever fascination that bewitched Mammoth. Of course, as far as Jinx knew, Mammoth had the strange trait within him to locate something he couldn't wrap his mind around for one reason or another and simply stare at it with a scrunched up face, sometimes with his tongue sticking out in concentration if he comes to believe he could decipher it on his own, till the answer presented itself somehow. It made him as lovable as it made him weird in the hex mistress' point of view.

"What are you guys doing?" Jinx deadpanned as she pointedly start at the two. "Uh... TV's out," Mammoth offered as he pointed at the only TV in the room held aloft by a desk. "A mouse or something ate through the wiring and there isn't even a twist tie for me to use to fix it," Gizmo added in a grumble.

"So you guys thought it would be a good idea to pass the time to search through Naruto's stuff?" Jinx reprimanded both verbally and physically by snatching the frame away from Mammoth. In her own curiosity, her eye flicked over to the glass encased paper that had seen better days despite the legibility of the ink upon it. "A haiku?" she idly commented as she caught a better look at what lay behind the glass. "Apparently we're not the only ones who think it's a good idea to pass the time," Gizmo snickered, soon joined in by Mammoth, even after receiving a glare from the pink haired hex mistress.

"Humph!" Her gaze returned to the paned poem in hand with an odd intensity that drew both of the teenagers ever closure from their improvised seats. "I got nothing," she said suddenly. The fact that both teens crashed into the bed with a aggravated but disappointed "gah!" was not lost to her nor her smirk begot from it.

"Wait, you can tell it's a "haiku" but you can't read it?!" Gizmo exclaimed as he sat back up to see Jinx's smirk obtain a mischievously evil quality to it. His already beady eyes scrunched up in scrutiny as he stared back at her. "Has anyone told you lately that you're despicable?" he muttered loudly enough for her smirk to border on a smile of the accused quality.

Mammoth, meanwhile, was chanting "Read it!" over and over again till she acquiesced to the demand.

Pink iris eyes flicked over to the poem once more with a steady amount of concentration and a frown drawn from her remembering her time spent with Cheshire... before Naruto had faced her in the combat exam to which the cat masked ninja became more reclusive afterwards due to a strange culmination of fear for the one eyed blond and training to regain what honor there was to be salvaged from her defeat. Even with what the 'institution' really was, the HIVE Academy did offer a chance for its 'students' to congregate and form bonds. With her time spent with the only known ninja of the Academy, before Naruto came at least, Jinx had at least a working understanding of the language of Japan.

"_A true nature,_

_You did not turn away._

_A horrid perversity,_

_You console and embrace._

_A pained heart cries for you._

_A loving heart yearns for you._

_A heart Forever bound._

_A heart Forever yours._"

"Huh... a love poem?" Mammoth asked.

"Nooo, it's a declaration of war... moron," Gizmo grumbled.

A flicking finger of retribution lightly struck the shorter boy's arm which was returned in kind by a severely underpowered, by comparison, blow in what would be a minor conflict that devolved into a respective shoving match between the two. Jinx merely rolled her eyes as he made to put the frame on the nightstand that divided the beds, right next to another standing one that the glare of the light kept hidden. In newfound curiosity to a more curious notice on the table, her eyes flicked over to another frame that was flush with the wood of the stand. Whether or not it was toppled by a previous ruckus, a failed attempt to place it back onto the stand after being picked up, or purposely done so, Jinx couldn't tell even as she guided her hand to pick it up to satisfy the urge to discover its contents.

"He must have been twelve or something when this was taken," she quietly noted. It was of a much younger Naruto, with his second eye intact, with three people she knew she didn't know by any stretch of the imagination. The only true commonality they shared was a headband bearing a metal plate ornamented with a leaf that bore a spiral on the inside. The only adult in the picture had gravity defying silvery grey hair, a form of flak jacket, a blue face mask that went as high as the bridge of his nose, and a tilted headband that covered his left eye while his right eye was closed in what could very well be exasperated joy. Both his hands rested upon the heads of a younger Naruto, wearing a primarily orange jumpsuit with blue shoulders and a primarily white stretchable collar, who was scowling for reasons unknown at a brooding black haired boy who wouldn't look at the camera entirely while garbed in white arm warmers and a blue shirt armed with a high rising collar. The only girl in the picture was a cherry blossom pink haired girl in a red shirt, trimmed in white with white hollow circles connected to said trim, who seemed to be the only one overjoyed to be in the picture.

"Huh... he kind of looks like the green bean when he's annoyed," Mammoth commented as he spied on the picture with the use of his height upon standing up and surprisingly good eye regarding the angle. "No he doesn't!" Gizmo contested as he used his backpack mounted spider walker system. Reaching behind him, he retrieved a small, even by his standards, laptop that was dispensed from his backpack and powered it on. "Here I'll show you-... I take that back, he does kind of look like the living mucus of the group when he's annoyed," he mumbled as his attempt to quash Mammoth's claim backfired as he kept switching his sights between the picture of a twelve year old Naruto and to what was a picture of Beast Boy involved in a tug-of-war with Cyborg over an _abnormally_ stretchable slice of pizza...

"Are you three having fun?" All three froze in their places till they dared to mechanically turn their sights to the newest speaker of the room: Naruto with his helmet cradled in the crook of his arm. A thoroughly un-amused Naruto who had happened to still be _armed_, not to mention garbed in a suit that was a virtual copy of the X-suit with its exact abilities only powered by what Naruto called chakra.

"Uh... hi?" Jinx nervously offered with a matching smile and wave of the hand, which the other two copied minus the verbal acknowledgement of his sudden presence.

XVX

Konoha Hideout

She stashed her vigilante garb into a scroll as soon as she heard what had happened at Precinct Fifty when she caught the captioned news through a storefront window hosting a handful of TVs.

"_Damn it, Sasuke!_" She _knew_ he wasn't right in the head since his forced return to Konoha, but she figured at worst he would pull some attention grabbing stunt like destroying a recognized landmark or the like to announce his presence, and by proxy Konoha's, presence in the world. Outright murder had _definitely_ not crossed her mind, let alone kill off over thirty _Police Officers_. Already the city was on borderline panic over an act that even most of their known gallery of villains wouldn't be associated with in their intents and plotting. Unfortunately she had no true leads as to how to find him and end the loon's rampage since his disappearance.

In any event she was forced to return to their headquarters for damage assessment and the eventual teams that would be sent out to find their psychotic _'comrade'_ if the head case hadn't returned already. Coordination was often a key component to victory after all.

She had just crossed the threshold in their domain when she was greeted by the sight of their mission leader sitting at an impromptu table of empty crates with both elbows on it while his hands heavily rubbed into his face, and blood curdling screams of pain alongside garbled vengeance from the Uchiha. Sitting near Kakashi, and doing their best to ignore the screaming in their own fashion, was her former sensei who had a handful of bandages wrapped around his head and her former teammate who sat at the table shirtless though garbed in similar bandages wrapped tightly on his chest.

"GWRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

She heavily grimaced upon hearing it, and it remained on her still, as she rushed over to the trio while Kurenai, the only other person with a reason to be out, came in and followed her shortly afterwards.

As if sensing her presence alone as the rest were covered by one means or another, Kakashi lifted his head to greet Tenten with a weary eye before turning his gaze to Kurenai. "Go help Sakura, Hinata, and Ino. It seems Sasuke keeps spitting out his bite guard, not to mention resist the anesthetics somehow," he managed to say in between the din of the now confirmed source of the screaming. With an unseen nod on Tenten's part, Kurenai immediately departed to where she assumed Sasuke was being treated if the howls of agony were an indication to both his condition and his location. Hands balled into fists, and with reluctant grace she kept herself from slamming them onto the 'table' to vent her own frustrations to the trio of jonin who doubtlessly were already stressed enough by whatever had happened involving Sasuke and what he done beforehand, or possibly after if she dared a guess of Sasuke forcing his original escape from their headquarters.

"What happened?" she forcibly asked, almost inaudibly due to the screeching.

Neji grimaced scornfully much to her confusion, though she could guess-

"We finally found Naruto," Kakashi spoke up as wearily as he looked.

"What?!" Tenten gasped.

Even Guy looked uncomfortable as he morosely shifted about in his seat that was an empty crate. "Unfortunately that isn't all that we found out this evening." Veteran eyes peered over to Neji who, after a moment of some silent communication between the two, turned away and left. "It seems that somehow during his tenure, or quite possibly before his return to Konoha, he had not only obtained a byakugan but at least some of the clan skills associated with it."

The special jonin's jaw dropped. "Naruto? He has the byakugan? And-." She shook her head free of those thoughts... no matter how disturbing they were.

"Are you sure-"

"Neji confirmed it himself with his own byakugan..."

"But how was he able to-"

Guy held up a hand as he closed his eyes. "According to Neji, it seems that his "blindfold" had been intricately laced with seals that somehow masks his use of it while feeding off the unconscious discharge of chakra his body produces. It doesn't seem to be able to prevent someone else with a byakugan from seeing it however..."

"And... the clan techniques?"

Her sensei during her genin and even chunin days finally opened his eyes, though they were glazed over in thought. "Personally I don't know how extensive his abilities are in this bizarre turn of events. I was the only one to be hit with the mountain crusher technique whereas Neji had been ran through with a sword." Whether he or Kakashi noticed it, Tenten's eyes stretched to new limits as she struggled to control herself. "With any luck, he has no knowledge of the gentle fist style (juken). If he does, then I pray he isn't as efficient as even the most undertrained members of Neji's and Hinata's clan," he added solemnly. "Through if I'm right from the way he moved, he was a greater preference to kenjutsu than hand to hand combat."

Tenten lowered her head and closed her eyes as she took in the insights of her former sensei and conformed them with what rationale she could. Naruto was now armed with a byakugan, how long he had it is completely unknown to them but doubtlessly he has a lucid understanding of it much like Kakashi. Naruto was armed with at minimum the Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher ability though chances were he was also armed with other Hyuga techniques, meaning that by whatever luck that graced Naruto with a byakugan also favored him with not only a donor but a trainer as well. And from Sasuke's screaming, which had died down thankfully for her, it seemed that Naruto was just as brutal as ever since his return. And he was willing to grievously harm his once allies...

With soft whispers of comfort to calm her and put her at ease, there was an ache in her gut that didn't wish to leave.

"Is there anything else I should know?" she asked without looking up. It was Kakashi who spoke up this time. "As Sasuke and Neji made evident, he's willing to injure and mutilate everyone from the Leaf if not worse. I want you to be extra careful when you're out there if he proves he's willing to hunt us down out there."

"Worse?" she suddenly asked with the slight raising of her gaze to meet Kakashi. He sighed as he began to rub his face again. "Sasuke had the... misfortune to encounter Narito first, and that skirmish ended with him being impaled on a shipping container by the arms, having a rasengan shoved into his back, and left to drown when that same rasengan sent the container to sink to the bottom of one of the docks."

The gulp from the specialist was not lost on him as he elaborated. "The blow itself onto his back was enough to all but disintegrate his spine. The girls are still trying to ascertain the true extent of the damage done to him..."

An actual wince of pity glided across Tenten. "Other than his current condition, what are we to do with him?" she asked quietly. Stopping his ministrations, Kakashi bowed his head in thought with a closed eye in concentration. "All that we can do is see to it he returns to Konoha alive and healthy."

"Shall I go out and assess the situation caused by Sasuke then?" she suddenly asked. A weary eye opened to greet her and study her for but a moment before answering. "If you find Naruto while you're out, do not engage and report back immediately." With a curt nod she immediately left using the same restraint she had to employ with her fists as she walked to the door, only a modicum of care spent in trying to hide her tension as she neared the door and crossed the threshold.

That care in both restraint and concealment was lost upon the door's closing when she bolted to wherever her feet dared to take her, and whatever destiny that came of it.

XVX

Room 309, Summer Hotel

His guests had long since drifted off to sleep off the night in preparation of what was to come. Brother Blood had taken a sudden departure from Jump City during Jinx's own absence and seemingly took whoever he found the most useful with him much to the Troika's mixture of relief and aggravation. But he didn't leave without a gift of sorts to the once prized 'students' of the HIVE Academy: He left them a base to operate. Though the location was given, neither Gizmo nor Mammoth were willing to potentially abandon Jinx while she was gone in order to survey their new base and make whatever adjustments they decreed fit for their needs. Those needs were most likely going to involve a vault sized fridge, a Gamestation with a plasma screen TV, and a giant couch if Naruto was to guess the immediate installments the male portion of the trio had in mind once they find their new lair.

They did offer him to tag along. He declined in favor of some... "unfinished business" as Sēji may put it.

It was exactly that "unfinished business" that he contemplated as he inspected his ninjato for any at all imperfections in the moonlight that needed to be dealt with before the next possible fight. He had no true idea as to how many from his former village had crossed over and if they brought anyone else through by whatever means they had available to follow him. Sasuke was a wild card, both mentally and strategically, considering his latest loss to the latest rogue of Konoha and he had no way of telling if the shinobi in question had medics with them capable of healing Sasuke and his destroyed back.

In any event they would have to subdue him for a time for his own health.

Ultimately he had two options that he was aware of. His first option was as simple as can be: Kill them. No pursuers equaled no hassles later on, at least till Konoha sent more to find him with some means to bridge this world to theirs.

A lone eye silently shifted to a picture frame located at the small table where he had set up shop as it were in the relative darkness of his rented home. Even in the shadows, even if he was completely blind for that matter, he could still see what it contained: It was of him when he was a toddler in the loving embrace of a blood red haired woman with deep cerulean eyes. In the corner of the frame sat another picture of a much smaller size consisting of himself, a few years older and covered in a small amount of band aids, in a half baked headlock that held him in place by a girl roughly his senior by a year as she grinned to reveal a missing front tooth. She too was covered in a small amount of band aids. It took every ounce of his self restrain not to turn around and eye his old picture of Team Seven as it sat on the nightstand. As quietly as he looked at them, his attention returned to the sword.

The second option was doubtlessly harder than the first: Send them back. If he had to go that route then in order to successfully pull it off he had to enlist help from either, if not all, of his... associates that originally came with him. However that itself was something of a challenge onto itself. Sēji Muyomora would most likely sit back and watch the fireworks from a distance to amuse himself once he caught wind of this plan, even if it turns into a battle of bloodshed, and in all likelihood there was no guarantee that in the case that Naruto was defeated that he, Sēji, would step in to aid Naruto. Riko Bunkai merely just wanted to be left alone for all Naruto knew, something that was most likely not going to happen if they stayed in the Elemental Nations after the prison break. Convincing him, provided that he can be found, to partake in either case would be difficult enough to make Sēji a very tempting choice of a partner out of the two.

Either way, he had to get rid of the Konoha agents if he is to have a life...

XVX

Titans Tower

Unlike the other Titans who had to struggle slightly to cross through the threshold of their home, Robin was use to periods long nights involving hard work involving investigation, crime fighting, and little sleep in between. Another perk to be attributed from his tenure in Gotham. He'd probably even be awake till the third night in a row while powering himself up by coffee alone, which was something he half joked about more often than not. Regardless, it was most likely due to this perk that enabled him with enough sense of mind to notice a detail that was in itself disturbing: The front door was unlocked. Immediately he briskly walked to the nearest terminal available to him to put his partially beleaguered mind at rest and activated every camera that he knew was functioning to find any potential threats. It wasn't the first time he found the door as so given the rush the Titans go through to ensure they reach a crime in progress, even he forgotten to grab a spare set of birdarangs and the occasional sock when that klaxon blares to life. Yet it never hurt to check on what may have gotten in...

Such as someone sitting in the Common Room with what appeared to be a cup of tea while casually staring at Starfire's pet mutant moth larvae, claimed from a previous battle with Killer Moth, that the tamaranean princess affectionately called "Silkie" as it curiously stared back at the intruder.

"Titans, go!" Robin barked as he suddenly dashed to the elevator with the rest following him shortly.

"Aw man, the tower too? It's like villains have no standards!" Cyborg whined as he got into the car with Robin and the others.

"Just please tell me I don't have to be cut out of any more goo... I don't think my hair can take it anymore," Beast Boy added in a drawn out rhetoric of exasperation.

"All I know is that someone is in the Common Room," Robin stated as he intently stared at the elevator's gauge indicating what floor they were on.

"It is not the one who stole the suit of the Red X is it?" Starfire asked. No answer was given in reply upon the "ding" of the elevator and the opening of its doors to let the team loose upon the hallway it was connected to. From there it was only a matter of time for them to reach the Common Room at breakneck speeds and burst through the automatic door with their respective weapons bared to the intruder, who seemed to be more concerned with the tea upon her lips rather than a known group of heroes who came to defend their grounds.

"Who are you?" It was more of a demand than a question, but the underlying point was valid. It was then Robin noticed the details he previously missed upon the need to encounter their intruder: Kevlar armor, a helmet and a discarded pair of goggles on the table marking the border of the kitchen to which she sat at on one of the stools surrounding it. With no sense of a means to hide it, her darkened brown hair spilled out just passed her neck at the most while her equally shaded eyes regarded them with the smallest ounces of worn amusement twinkling in them before closing them to enjoy the latest sip from the tea in her clutches.

"Sorry, but I helped myself to the tea while I was waiting," she finally replied with a slightly cheeky, but still worn, smile.

"Can't say I heard that for a response," Beast Boy mumbled, earning a swift jolting blow from Cyborg's elbow. "Hey!" he cried indignantly.

During the small skirmish however, one of the other Titans broke ranks...

"_Raven_!" Robin tried to covertly hiss. She only waved him off as she glided to a stool at the opposing end of the table where she willed her own cup and beverage from their resting places.

"It's been two long nights with no sleep on our part. Between that we faced someone in a specially crafted suit, then the same person in a new variation of the suit while demonstrating other abilities, a series of murders to which the suspect suddenly vanished soon afterwards to parts unknown despite the new lead and what looked like something of a battlefield. As far as I'm concerned, we need rest and I'm certain that if..." Raven's lips pursed with the sudden realization she had not a name for their 'guest.' Their unidentified guess only smiled, scoffed ever so slightly in jovial amusement, when she came to same epiphany as well. "Let's settle for Bell for the time being," she offered.

"Bell," Raven stated slowly before continuing her line of thought. "Had any intention of fighting us, then she wouldn't come unarmed." At this Robin gave "Bell" another look over to find, much to his embarrassment that he had to fight off, that their guest was indeed unarmed.

A small chuckle escaped "Bell" before returning to her drink. "I helped you twice and yet I'm greeted by potential force," she mused with a slight shake of the head. "You did enter our home without permission," Raven countered. "Point," Tenten conceded.

Without warning, Beast Boy seemingly materialized out of thin hair in what was reminiscent to the classical attire of Sherlock Holmes and a magnifying glass. "Hmmm," he hummed as he inspected the helmet under the glass before gasping in conclusion. "She's the Spy-Girl-!"

"GACK!" Interrupted, Beast Boy swiftly swiveled his head to find Starfire all but snapping "Bell" in half in one of her hugs. "I feel like my thunder has been stolen," he mumbled in a distraught fashion.

"Though it would have been most courteous to have asked first before entering, it is most good to see an ally visit us in our home!" Starfire exclaimed cheerily with Tenten in her grasp... trying to free herself as she gasped for air. "She's turning blue Starfire," Raven noted as she tried to drown her tea in sugar as opposed to the other way around to fight off the rising need to sleep a little while longer.

From the door, Robin had little restraint as to not to palm his face to vent the irritation of sudden change of mannerisms in the span of moments. "So that's the girl that helped you with the killer plant huh?" Cyborg asked as he rested his hands on his hips as he inspected Tenten from afar as she crumpled to the ground upon Starfire's release of her and gulped down sweet precious air after crashing into the floor.

"Yep..." Robin drawled as he morosely approached the kitchen table while their uninvited guest climbed back up the stool with the apologetic help of Starfire. "Sorry about that. I guess it has been more trying than usual these past few hours than what I would like to admit," Robin offered as he sat himself down. An accepting hum was all that was offered in response on "Bell's" part as she drew her focus back onto her own cup of tea.

"But what brings you here if you don't mind me asking?"

Dark brown eyes closed as she took a sip of her drink. "To better prepare you for the future," she finally replied.

Masked eyes and the seemingly invisible eyebrows furrowed. "Come again?" Everyone's curiosity peaked in their own fashion, which on Beast Boy's case required him being verbally restrained by Cyborg in a preemptive headlock to keep him from interrupting.

Tired eyes opened and looked across the table to encompass as many as the Titans as she could. "I don't have to be an expert in anything to know that you all are going to go out and fight whatever trouble that rears its head in this city. With that in mind, I'm going to help where I can with forces I sincerely hope you do not have the misfortune of encountering in your pursuit of justice."

XVX

Hidden Bunker

"Truly amazing."

For what may have been the fifteenth time in a row, she went back to the near start of the battle that emerged from the dockside sewer entrances, proceeded only by the battle between the newly dubbed Grave against the Titans. The point where the "Uchiha" as the man proclaimed himself was pointedly elbowed in the chest. The fight itself was short and on the side of disappointing given the relative lack of... flash that was more present in both the Titan's battle and the police precinct, but it still enticed her to learn the armament of the masked man and possibly gauge his mentality.

There was obviously no love or a sense of remorse over what was done on Grave's part to both his impromptu method of a potentially lethal distraction and forced submission of his enemies. Not to mention, despite her disappointment in seeing a more detailed list of what he was capable of, there was some form of relationship between those wearing the headbands of a spiraled leaf and himself that elicited a sense of aggression that the Teen Titans couldn't stir.

A small chuckle escaped the young woman as a deviously cold smirk flitted across her features. "Calculative, indomitable, and skilled..." He eye flicked to the real live feed of a flying drone she had sent to tail those that seemed to be Grave's enemies then to another real time video of Grave himself escaping his apartment to parts unknown since the drone was losing him fast due to his speed.

"But it doesn't hurt for gather further information." A lone finger gently jabbed the button, enabling the audio spyware attached to the drone hovering above the warehouse.

"Y-you don't suppose Neji was serious about Naruto's threat, do you Ino?"

"I don't want to know, Hinata. It's bad enough thinking that we're chasing someone who was once our friend..."

"Y-yeah..."

"Is something wrong?"

"... No. I'm fine."

"If you need someone to talk to, you know that there are others than Kurenai-sensei."

"I'm fine Ino... I'm just going to go to bed."

"Alright... good night then."


	9. Of Dialogue

**I do not own Naruto, Teen Titans, nor any other element that may or may not appear in this story! This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

Silent as the...

Chapter 6: Of Dialogue

Room 309, Summer Hotel, Jump City, Three days later

"_Na-ru-to_." A mild delirium brought on by three days of searching with no rest in between save for the one night of rest, one night of rest that still enslaved the mind as the sleeping world spilled over into the waking world... A smile crept onto his face, regardless of the phantasm that now shared his bed, draped an arm lovingly around him, and snuggled into his back while planting feathery kisses on it to tease him.

Ah sweet torture that this lucid hallucination was that gave him company...

Shame the rising sun banished it when he made the mistake in turning to face the welcomed apparition that was substitute for his true tormentor in the morning. A morose, bitter smile crept upon his features as he stared at the spot of the bed that bore no trace of anyone being in it...

It was motivation enough to get out of bed despite his body's demand for rest let alone sleep. With rise was met with a deep seated groan escaped him as days of abuse protested the act. "As if that hadn't happened before," he grumbled as he got out of his bed with nothing on but his 'eye patch' and dark blue boxers.

Soon he was on his feet, though under bodily protest, and simply stood there to worked out the kinks his body developed with the use of stretching that only stopped when his original eye happened upon the empty space from before. After a second of staring at it, his eye closed as he forced his gaze to the nearby wall despite its lidded status. "Only one perk to this," he grumbled as he left sauntered to the kitchen, reached into the cupboard and retrieved a cup of packaged ramen. "Breakfast my way," he stated with the slightest edgings of a grin. That grin however was blown away by a sudden rush of an ominous presence pressed against his very soul...

The byakugan flared to life and sought out the cause. A mother scolding her children two floors below his own apartment, no. Several residents leaving for work from every conceivable floor he could see, definitely not. Over a dozen people enjoying a day off in bed or some other part of their apartment, no. An apparent couple... _thoroughly_ enjoying each other's company in bed... he turned off his transplanted eye with a blush lest he became transfixed on that scene of two women unwittingly enacting a Icha-Icha scene.

"Damn you Jiraiya," Naruto mumbled as he turned to the proxy of the foreboding nature that beset him... his tattoo proudly emblazoned upon his chest. Slowly, ever so slowly, he gently set the ramen cup on the counter and backed away with only an ounce of reluctance to test his hypothesis... A noisy groan escaped unyielding lips as his uncovered eye scrunched up as the not so stated ill will left him. "I'm in another universe entirely and she can _still_ sense that..." he grumbled as he stared at his desired meal once his eye was free to view the world once more. A good minute was spared in staring at the cup of noodles before groaning yet again, a hand whimsically held out to crack an imaginary whip and made manifest the crack with but a tiny smirk of a accepted ridicule based nature while he went to the fridge for a more healthy, ramen-less meal.

XVX

_(Flashback!)_

Common Room, Titan's Tower

"Come again?" The answer to Robin's question did not come immediately as "Bell" took to finishing off her drink at a casual pace, an obvious delay to something she wasn't eager to discuss if her speed was indicator. She even held onto the silence that followed as she let loose a quiet breath as her eyes dulled from their already worn luster.

"Precinct Fifty," she stated simply without much care as to the effect despite the tired nature of her voice and what it entailed. She did however take note of Beast Boy's now quieted status as he paled alongside Cyborg's uneasiness. "I'm guessing you know exactly who did it and why?" Robin calmly queried as he pressed his fingers together at their digits to suppress the impulsive desire to slam his hands onto the table and demand an answer.

A small smile crept up upon her lips when a pitcher of her beverage tilted over to replenish her cup, courtesy of Raven who received a thankful nod. The brief smile finally vanished as her lips soured while taking a small sip from her cup before continuing. "While the why I have a distinct theory to, the who is Sasuke Uchiha." Masked eyes amongst others narrowed to a degree while Beast Boy tilted his head to the side with a distinct "Huh?" emitted from him while Starfire only armed herself with a pensive frown as opposed to joining in the rest. "I'm never heard of him," Robin responded calmly. "I'm guessin' that he ain't your typical mass murderer if you came out to talk about him," Cyborg interjected as he crossed his arms.

"You're right," she admitted with a disgusted grimace tingeing her features for a second. "And I'm not surprised you're not familiar with him," a smirk consumed her as she mused to herself aloud, "I bet it would drive him nuts to know that the world at large hadn't heard of him or his clan if he ever found out." She shook her head as she grew more dour once more. "You see I, he, and a few others-"

"Like Sēji Muyomora?" Robin intoned astutely. She nodded with a slight grimace on her part. "At least twelve people that now walk on this earth are from a different universe entirely," she admitted with a sigh. "At least?" Robin leaned forward from his seat while Cyborg rest an arm on the table as he leaned in as well, both more than content with ignoring Beast Boy muttering "cool!" Raven for her part crossed her arms under her bust as she listened in-

"Oh! Then allow me to greet you to our universe, Friend Bell!" Starfire exclaimed as she all but tackled the kunoichi from her seat once more to shake her hand vigorously. "Please tell me, where are you from? How do you like our universe so far? Have you been eating well? What was your universe like-?"

"Starfire..." Robin virtually groaned as he clenched his eyes shut whereas Raven rolled her eyes, shook her head, and calmly shut them while doing so when she haplessly ended up listening to Starfire's barrage of questions that were added onto by Beast Boy's own commentary and supplementation. "Sweet! Was where you came from full of super spies or something!? Let me guess, that Plant Guy was secret agent who went rogue, stole a rift hole machine, and now uses it to start an multi-universal bid for conquest to start his own government while growing an army of mean greens to do his bidding!" Beast Boy added on while he too swarmed the anxious kunoichi as she now contended with two overeager Titans invading her personal space.

It took Raven's powers to separate them from the surrounded teenage girl, as well as to gag and indignant Beast Boy.

"Thank you," Tenten muttered quietly as she made herself comfortable once more. "Yes. "At least," meaning that as far as I know there are only twelve people from where I'm from unless someone else followed us without our knowing or was brought here. But let's be concerned by that for another time." She quietly drew in a breath and expelled it as she turned her attention to her tea. "As I was saying, from where we come from the Uchiha clan is heard by virtually everyone on the continent, even after the prestige associated with it started to fade some years ago after a large scale massacre eliminated everyone but two: Sasuke Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha, brothers to one another... the latter of which being the perpetrator for reasons unknown."

"Whoa..." Beast Boy mumbled in subdued awe. "As you can imagine, Sasuke wanted revenge for that day. Throughout his time in our home he had secluded himself from everyone else in favor of getting stronger, even after he was place on a squad he kept up his anti-social behavior in favor of gaining in favor..." Bell however frowned in both contemplation and of a more personal nature tangent. "To be fair, this wasn't entirely the case..." she uttered quietly before reaffirming herself to her original tale. "Regardless, after an event we called the Chunin Exams did his obsession come to a head. In the midst of the second portion of the exam, Sasuke's team was ambushed by an opponent that none of them had a chance in defeating back then: Orochimaru of the Sannin; a man of incredible skill, power, and fame who few would or could face, and even fewer who would dare come to blows with him if it was a choice."

A finger rose up pointedly on her part to stop the slight quiver of a jaw about to ask why. "Now we get to the reason why the Uchiha clan was so famed, but first allow me to explain something before I explain why they encountered a man who could easily overpower a team genin without much of a challenge." Masked eyes widened before narroing to slits as he recognized the noun despite the language barrier. "Dude, what's a genin?" Beast Boy hoarsely whispered into Cyborg's ear after sneaking by as a green mouse. The metallic teen frown as he searched his own database and came across the most viable definition under the circumstances. "Low ninja." The mechanical hand clamping around the green teen's mouth was not unwarranted as it muffled a cry of excitement, nor was tackling him into the ground without merit as he became more like an overeager kid than the situation called for. "Excuse me, but what is a "ninja" if I may ask?" Bell's eyes clenched in quiet exasperation before turning to the tamaranean. "To give a short explanation, we are a group of people trained to perform feats and acts most people are incapable of doing. Case and point, Sēji's ability to turn or grow plants into living weapons and decoys for his machinations."

The princess of tamaran gave a silent "oh" before settling into her seat with a pensive frown while the kunoichi righted herself to face the group in general. "As I was saying, there is something you need to be aware of. We shinobi, or rather," she paused to give a cautious glance towards the general struggle between Beast Boy and Cyborg, "Ninja... make use of a naturally born power that makes up all life of where we come from called "Chakra." With training we learn to utilize this power into performing feats most people would at least struggle in such as leaping onto a branch a story higher than yourself, run faster, or even enhance certain attributes to perceive things much greater than a normal human such as picking up a smell or a sound that someone else would miss, or even using abilities of an elemental nature just to name a few. However no ability, be it passive or active, is not without training to use it properly." A slight grimace appeared upon her before she continued. "With that said, not everyone is capable of wielding certain abilities that are granted to those genetically predisposed to it."

"We call these gene based techniques bloodline limits since only people born to that line are able to use these abilities, which brings me back to the Uchiha clan. By using chakra on their eyes they would use a bloodline technique known as the Sharingan, an eye coveted an praised for by great hosts of people to an extent bordering on worship or obsession as was the case of Orochimaru. The sharingan in appearance is a red eye with a narrowed pupil and a ring focused around it that is further decorated with coma shaped black marks we call tomoe, and comes with a small host of abilities that gave reason to people coveting it. First, when in use it allows the user to perceive things far faster than the normal person, in other words what would be blinding speed to one person would look much closer to a jog to a sharingan user as far as eyesight is concerned. Second, the sharingan is capable of instantaneously learning abilities that would require certain movements to properly use be it with chakra or with his own body if nothing impedes either, such as another bloodline 's set of abilities or the ability itself lacks a method to be copied. Third, and thankfully not a trait Sasuke has patience for, is the ability to hypnotize others who look at him directly in the eye into perform acts they believe is of their own will." A strange smirk flirted across her face. "Like I said though, he isn't patience in that regard and would more likely bring the fight to you rather than outwit someone."

"With that said, Orochimaru was someone who wanted the sharingan for himself for his own uses. To achieve this he had developed a method that served not only to lengthen his own lifespan but to also obtain bloodline techniques despite the genetic barrier preventing such an act: He learned to possess the bodies of others, erase their wills, and obtain their abilities all at once." What gasps and other signs of shock were easily ignored as Tenten took to her drink for another sip. "To ensure this process is easier and faster for him to perform, he developed what we call a Curse Mark which also served a dual purpose. On one hand it not only mark those he had a vested interest in and acting as a sort of entry way into that person's body, and on the other it granted those afflicted by the curse mark a marked increase in chakra based power to those who use it... and what could be more enticing to someone wanting revenge upon a stronger opponent than power?" A melancholy smirk crossed her as she took another sip. "After ambushing Sasuke's team and leaving that mark as a calling card, he was content to let things take their course in whatever fashion it came."

The smirk was lost soon after. "Unfortunately it seemed that the course of events dictated another encounter with Itachi and a failure on Sasuke's part to avenge his family without much of a fight on Itachi's part." Morosely she stared at the clear surface of her tea, ignoring everyone around her as her face grew blank. "That defeat had shook Sasuke enough to have him revert to a more aggressive version of his earlier behavior that he was more confrontational with those around him, especially..." Robin had to resist raising his brow as he notice the slight tick to her jaw in her pause as she fought over what to say. Quickly he glanced over to Raven to confirm his suspicion- it seemed something of a personal nature was involved was involved. "His mood was made worse for wear when a teammate of his had unexpectedly gained a tremendous boost in both power and ability that rivaled his own soon after his defeat at Itachi's hands."

"Things only progressed worse from there. Fights broke out, teamwork suffered, and eventually Sasuke was working on overcoming the countermeasures put in place to nullify the curse mark's power," she said wistfully with the slow shake of the head. "In retrospect, I suppose none of us should've been surprised when Sasuke fled to join Orochimaru for what he could provide, and made his regard for our home clear when he tried to murder his own teammate who came to stop him." She had no response to Starfire's gasp, the widening of eyes, or the scowl Robin had, at least not a direct one as a self admonishing smirk appeared. "Sorry," she quietly apologized much to their confusion, "I'm getting a bit off track."

"I do not truly know the extent of Sasuke's abilities as they stand now, but I do know some of his abilities. But for now, for the sake of time, I will finish what I intended to say before I leave lest someone grows suspicious about my whereabouts. Sasuke had killed his brother some years ago yet it seemed his thirst for blood wasn't satisfied as it turned to other targets who seemed to have some kind of connection to Itachi for one reason or another. Danzo, sort of a respected leader of sorts from our home, soon fell to Sasuke while a member of a mercenary group Itachi was affiliated with joined the ranks of the dead afterwards thanks to Sasuke... yet they weren't the only ones who died. Anyone who was anyone who even hinted a measure of dislike for the Uchiha clan came under attack unless they appeased to Sasuke's ideals while those who haven't were hunted down like dogs if someone hadn't restrained him, as the case may be for his reasoning to slaying everyone he encountered in Precinct Fifty..."

"If you're aware about his tendencies, then why haven't you stopped him?" Robin suddenly intoned with what was akin to a masked glare of scrutiny that weathered the inward bewilderment arising from the sad smirk Bell gave as a response. "Because it would be pointless if I did it," she said with a humorless laugh before taking another mouthful of her drink. "Why-"

"Because Sasuke is the last of his clan, thus the last person in our universe who has the sharingan as well as the only one who can provide genetic stock to rebirth his clan. He is also the sole inheritor to all the wealth and prestige the clan held that still remains intact. Virtually _no one_ is willing, or even able, to lay a finger on him and are willing to bend over backwards to ensure they could ride along his coat tails with all the benefits that come with it. Because of all of this, he wasn't even punished any further than what Na-" Her jaw immediately clamped shut as if a bad taste had suddenly afflicted her. "Suffice it to say, his return was not willing on his part nor planned on our half when one of our own was out on a mission. Due to that, Sasuke now craves vengeance upon the head of yet another person who holds no love for the Uchiha clan and the only reason he's even here in your universe. We were in pursuit of yet... another rogue when Sasuke caught up to us, and in the heat of the chase as well as an unexpected encounter with other hostiles we were not in a position to have him sent back with an escort."

Masked eyes narrowed once more. "This person you were chasing, is he the one who brought Sasuke back to your home?" Silence ensued as the two locked eyes as a silent conversation ensued between the two long before the answer was given. "Yes."

"I see..." Without any interruption, Bell drank the last dregs of her tea, sat her cup down, and leisurely got up from her seat. "I believe it's time for me to head back before someone starts looking for me. I'll return when I can and supply you with what information I can provide," she stated as she made to leave the tower's common room.

"One question though." Halfway to the door, she stopped and turned to Cyborg as he stared at her. "How did you get into the tower?" he intoned. "Oh. The front door was unlocked," she nonchalantly replied before she left.

Had she stayed, she would've seen at least Robin and Cyborg twitch their brows uncontrollably. "Who's turn was it to lock the door again?"

_(End Flashback!)_

A lone glove finger gently tapped the keyboard while its owner stared at a screen containing the unknown assailant now known as Grave. Taken into account with what information he had, he had long since came to conclusion that he was a ninja. Now all that was left to do was to either unmask if if given a chance, or wait till Bell finally got around to revealing him... if ever if he was half right. Like a great deal of perks gained from working with Batman, some of which he continues to regret for the sheer troublesome nature of it all at times, was to pick up details and formulate hypothesis upon hypothesis till it was hammered down by facts, though to be fair she wasn't exactly subtle in hiding it from his entire team let alone him.

Now the question remained provided that he was correct in his assumptions: What was her connection to Grave? From the tones of regret, confirmed by Raven's empathic abilities, he could guess at one time they were allies of a close nature. Friends? Siblings? Lovers even? Only time will tell, and pushing this subject was more likely to subject a schism in this already unsteady relationship that now stood between the Titans and herself. He couldn't blame her either. Even he could sense a conflict being raged within her between duty and justice, hence the slow intake of information she brought in outside of naming another possible threat as well as a previously unmentioned metamorphosis of the sharingan. Riko Bunkai and the Mangekyo Sharingan respectively.

A massive monk of a man of indomitable strength and durability, the framed head monk of his temple had thankfully seemed more than content with leaving everyone alone if the lack of reports of someone matching his stature as well as chakra based abilities in both Jump City as well as other cities and towns were an indicator... however he was still considered a criminal from Bell's universe when no one cleared him of the charges despite the evidence supporting him. She didn't have much to say about his personality from her own encounter with the man, marking him as a wild card at worst if not a jaded hermit if he had taken to living in the wilderness to avoid detection.

Masked eyes widened then narrowed as Robin rapidly typed into the computer to bring up a devastated section of the forest where the trees appeared to have their trunks ripped off as opposed to chopped down. "Maybe he really is living as a hermit," Robin mused before turning back to Grave's picture of his sword drawn after rescuing the arms dealer from the ninja. His mind however drifted off topic to a more serious threat.

Sasuke Uchiha and his mangekyo eyes. An advanced stage of the sharingan that granted its user another set of boons other than the known list. Tsukuyomi, Susanoo, Kamui, and Amaterasu specifically.

Tsukuyomi, a genjutsu technique to turns minutes into weeks all for the purpose of mental torture that harmed both body and mind should someone be unfortunate enough to look the user in the eye. He could only hope that Sasuke's aggression would deprive him of using this ability, or at the very least his team would act fast enough to break the focus needed to maintain it.

Susanoo, an entity made of chakra to create not only an all but impervious defense but also provide a formidable offense once it reached at least the first stage of its structuring to form a humanoid skeleton. According to Bell, it was rumored the Susanoo had other forms as it matured.

Kamui, a reality altering technique that sent anyone or anything into a pocket dimension so long as it was within the sharingan's sight. It was also theorized that it was capable of enabling its user to travel between universes entirely if the user so willed, yet that was not to be tested for the time being.

Amaterasu, like Kamui it too was dependant on one's eyesight... Amaterasu was a technique of black flames to which there was no normal means as to extinguish as it burned whomever or whatever got caught within the flames' gasp should the sharingan user will it so... The Titans were undoubtedly to be extra cautious if they were to survive this kind of onslaught.

The only good news there was to be had was that the mangekyo's power was not absolute. Whomever wielded it ran the perpetual risk of forever being blinded by using the sharingan in this state for an extended period of time; power always came at a price, and prolonged strain from anything always had a negative consequence.

With a heavy sigh, Robin leaned forward and vigorously rubbed his eyes. "It's bad enough that this guy makes taking down the Joker almost a walk in the park in a head on fight, but we can't do anything until we have more information on who's guarding him," he groaned.

"Yo Rob! Have you seen the remote anywhere?" Oh how he envied his teammates at times for their seemingly infallible ability to never be concerned by currently dormant threats. Unless it was a personal vendetta of course much to Robin's great at times.

"No," he replied in a flat monotone.

"B! Check the couch! I'm going to check in the kitchen!"

"Why would it be in the kitchen?"

"Just check the couch, man!"

Groaning to himself, Robin turned his attention to the screen once more to resume his thoughts on the one called Grave. Aside from her reluctance on the subject, it was obvious that Bell was under orders to capture him from the collective details and hints she left behind be it intentionally or not. Riko Bunkai was a monk, albeit a monk with skills associated with the world with ninja, yet had been imprisoned for years, thus disqualifying him from being considered a traitor to an army of ninja. Sēji was an arms dealer, an international one at that who only favored sides when it suited him.

All he had of this third identity was the partial slip of a name, "Na." While he could run that through a database to find matches to it, he had no face to put it too nor was it likely Grave had made an attempt to start a legitimate identity in America or any other country for that matter.

"Hey, is the remote over where you're at, Rob?"

"No."

"You're not even looking!"

"True, but I'm sticking with my answer."

"Well I'm going to look if you're not," Cyborg half mumbled as he marched over. Glancing to the side, he caught Beast Boy in the form of a gorilla literally shaking down a section of their semi-circle couch with nothing to show for it other than loose change, abandoned knickknacks lost to the cushions, and apparently one of Robin's boots for one reason or another. He merely shook his head in derision as Beast Boy continued his search whereas he resumed his own at the console Robin taken to living in for the past days as of late. "You know, obsession ain't exactly good for your health you know," he rumbled to Robin as he began a precursory check of the more easily viewed areas. "Hmmm." Cyborg rolled his only organic eye as he continued his search only to be halted when he spotted a familiar object attached to Grave's waist. "Can you zoom in on that holstered sword's grip?" A curious gaze was sent Cyborg's way before acquiescing to it.

"As I thought," he mumbled a second later. "Let me guess, someone from HIVE?"

"Naruto Uzumaki, the guy was practically never seen without that sword." A frown adorned his visage as he further scrutinized "Grave." "From the looks of it, the only thing that's really changed about him was the attire and using the X-suit's abilities."

"What can you tell me about him?" By now Cyborg had Robin's complete attention, much to the latter's iiratation when the bionic teen shrugged in return. "The most I can say is that he kept to himself at HIVE, and anyone he did talk to was the Troika." Reaching into the circuitry of his arm, Cyborg pulled out a diminutive cable and plugged it into the computer to instantaneously enter in the images of Naruto during his tenure at the 'academy.' "Aside from rumor and speculation that popped up while he was there, the most anyone knows about him is that he did come from a place just like where Bell said she was from. Never went into the details however." A half hearted growl of agitation escape Robin as he stared at the one-eyed blond that warily stared back at him from what was doubtlessly a concealed camera shot of him talking to Cyborg during his undercover operation. "As for abilities... well the only video of him actually fighting doesn't really tell much." With an irritated scowl, Robin reviewed the fight between Naruto and Cheshire with little to learn. "Sorry Rob, when it comes to his past and what he can do, it looks like we would have to fight him some more and pray he's talkative or wait for Bell to come forward about him."

"Found the remote!"

"Sweet!" And with that, Robin was instantaneously abandoned with the cord whipping behind Cyborg from an impossibly clean ejection from its port. Shaking his head, Robin turned to the screen and began to type into the previously blank sections of the one who was known as Grave.

XVX

Park

"So found whoever it is you were looking?" Raven asked offhandedly before taking a sip. "Nope..." Naruto half mumbled as he fought to stay awake beside her while watching what he said despite his tired state. Raven only hummed as she tended to her drink whereas Naruto was content to review his search's current record. Riko wasn't in Jump City, that much he had determined as of yesterday. Now where was he to look for a giant bald monk, former or not? He could take a tour into the surrounding cities since a town would be too small for a man his size to safely hide from prying eyes. Overseas perhaps? Over six months, anything could happen. Or if Riko was too lazy, and he lucky, Riko could've made either a home or a shrine—

Wasn't there an article in the news paper regarding a sudden deforestation along Jump City's city limits some weeks, perhaps months ago? "Yes. Yes there was," he dully mumbled to himself as his mind brought up the details.

"Come again?" Raven curiously asked.

"Just remembering something," he tiredly groaned.

"Ah." Her lips pursed as she looked over at her companion for a brief moment before returning to the shrubbery in front of her. "Who is it you're looking for if I may ask?"

"Just an old acquaintance of mine to help me with an old issue of mine," he tiredly responded.

"Hmmm." She dared to glance over once more at her tired companion. While he wasn't lying as far as she could tell, there was something more to it as her abilities as an empath were concerned. As it stood now there was only a small rise, a pinprick even, of anger coursing through him joined in by a dose of regret, as well as a small but considerable, by comparison, measure of sorrow along some train of thought as far as she could deduce. She could ask for details... yet this "relationship" as it were worked both ways as neither went further than what was allowed. All they did was keep each other company, talk, and swap stories with one another ranging but not limited to embarrassing moments with friends both new and old, experiences, the occasional adventure lined slightly in cynicism from any at all bitterness accumulated from it, and occasionally comparing people they knew to one another: Beast Boy bore a vague resemblance to a younger version of her friend as shocking and outrageous as it sounded much to Raven's amusement. The Moya Triad sounded just like a dime a dozen would-be villains who needed a good bashing and subsequent capture to be shown the error of their ways, or at least to be subdued for a considerable amount of time. Robin was a Sasuke who had not penchant-...

Quietly, slowly, shocked eyes stretched to their limits as she dared to hazard a glance to the sleepy red head next to her. Was he a part of the twelve that crossed over to their universe...? Possibly, if so then what was his game? Friend? Foe? No, not foe if she thought about it rationally; he hadn't made any effort on his part to have her reveal information she wasn't willing to give. There was also the chance that he may not be a part of the twelve shinobi that crossed over. She certainly had no evidence, she hadn't encountered him outside of their usual meeting spot since this near daily event occurred between them...

Her already distressed pair of eyes came under further strain as she realized something from her now alert mind: She had encountered him not that long ago... the energy signature that made up his very being that as the former Red X now known as Grave.

Her lips hesitantly pursed as she considered what to do. Confronting him right now could work given his tired state, yet even she doubted the encounter could end well without backup. Leaving him be and feigning ignorance may work since throughout their encounters, both hostile and on, she never sensed an actual intent to kill anyone, yet that didn't excuse him of the brutality he displayed as he interrogated the arms dealer.

She grimaced slightly at her own indecision. A good portion of herself was simply content to have the status quo as it was much to her own introspective surprise... but she didn't truly know him. All she had of him was his name, his occasional opinion, and the occasional story of no real consequence to revealing of who he was and what he was capable of... much like herself. Her grimace worsened as she came to the only viable conclusion to end this stalemate.

Tempt a revealing of one's nature with information she would otherwise keep...

"You know we had a strange occurrence happen at the tower the other day," she offered as she fought to remain in her austere grace. "You don't say," Naruto all but yawned as he straightened himself back into the bench to avoid the gradual slip from it.

"Someone actually managed to get into the tower without setting off the alarms." She had to consciously avoid the twitch of her own lips when she felt a small amount of tension arise from her 'companion.' "Of course that's to be expected when a _certain someone_ forgets to make sure the front door was locked when we go out."

XVX

Common Room, Titans Tower

"ACHOO!"

With the sudden unexpected distraction plaguing Cyborg, Beast Boy had an opening, used it, and scored a victory in one fell swoop at Cyborg Ninja Chronicles.

"SWEET!"

"NO FAIR! I SNEEZED!"

"I STILL WON DUDE!" Beast Boy cried as he cackled his revelry.

From his console, Robin carefully inserted a pair of earplugs into his ears...

XVX

Park

"Must have been a shocker then," Naruto dully stated as he eased himself from the red flag Raven had left him.

"Mmhmm." She took a sip from her drink to conceal the frown that wished to form itself on her from her conclusion: He was indeed the one who stole the X-suit, why else would he be on alert by the mentioning of an otherwise unmarked entry into the tower? And for that matter, how did he get in? A question for another time if ever. "To be honest we're not entirely what to make of her. She had helped us before on at least two occasions and came forward to let us know of a more... psychotic presence that holds no value for others' lives, yet she seems a bit conflicted." Nothing else left Raven as her body tensed as a new host of emotions made themselves known to her empathic abilities: A weary calmness, intrigue, mild annoyance, and... humor?

"Let me guess. Late teens? Brown hair? Chocolate eyes? Even when she smiles you could see it as a faint reminiscence of what it should be? Had a wakizashi as a weapon of choice?" he asked with a renewed vigor as his tired body drank from the unspoken revelation. He couldn't help but smirk as she replied to his own questioning. "She came unarmed last time."

Still bearing that smirk, he shook his head as he leaned into the bench. "So how much did she tell you?"

This time a twitch did break through Raven's otherwise calm features as she too leaned into the bench. "So you do know her..."

"Yep. How much?" Raven looked over at the seemingly more tired shinobi next to her before sighing and relenting. "Enough to know you're from another universe, and that your abilities are powered by what you call Chakra. Anything else she seemed a bit reluctant on other than warning us of Sasuke Uchiha, Sēji Muyomora, and Riko Bunkai with what she knew." A hum of acceptance emanated from Naruto.

"So who are you? What's your purpose here?" Raven asked tiredly while directing her gaze at the shinobi; he had never given her a name, nor any indicator of what he wanted to do during their time together... nor had she actually asked much to her newfound aggravation and lack of inquiry. To her surprise however, Naruto grabbed his hat and easily took it off alongside a wig hidden beneath it to reveal his true features of unruly blond hair, whisker birthmarks on his cheeks, and an apparent eye patch of a headband for his left eye. "Naruto Uzumaki, age nineteen, and the latest shinobi to leave his village without permission when reality and opinion could no longer come to an agreement once faith had been murdered," he replied with a humorless chuckle.

A minute frown sketched itself upon Raven.

"As for what my purpose here," he said as he gestured to their immediate surroundings, "I do not truly have one other than enjoying someone's company for a time with no concern in sight; I do not come here to learn anything from you and use it against yourself and your friends." The frown remained on Raven, though it did lighten up by the smallest of fractions. "But if you're asking as to why I'm in your universe," he added as his mood grew more dour from its humorless state, "I came here as an alternative to the choices I had at the time." One of Raven's eyebrows perked up in curiosity. "What choices are you talking about?" At this he brought his visible eye to bear on her with the ghost of a melancholy smile and a spirit to match it and all it entailed.

"Unless you're willing to hear my side of this inter-universal chase, chances are you wouldn't understand my decisions and the reasoning behind them. And I will warn you, you may end up being here longer than you would like if you do want to know my side of this tale." Raven's frown grew in size as she suspected that he meant something else other than time...

XVX

Hidden Bunker

"Oh do please accept the invitation," she nearly purred as she had her drone zoom in at the scene of the park. The so called shinobi of Konoha could only grant so much insight into one subject with a checkered past. Mister Muyomora wasn't of much help much to her annoyance as he taken to a delight in aggravating this newfound interest she had in his once ally of convenience.

Naruto Uzumaki, "genin" of Konoha. A low rank did no justice to his abilities if what _valuable_ information she had garnered from both sources was true. Yet neither side could reveal much about his mentality as irritating as it sounded, especially since the only reliable source on such a subject was using this lack of information she had against her for his own amusement.

Unfortunately sending commando drones against him would only serve to give him more ammunition to use against her since he would more than likely rip her forces apart and resume an all too friendly business relationship out of spite. She wouldn't put it past him at least. This may also help explain why Naruto was fairly consistent in avoiding him this entire time.

Regardless, her current fascination and his meetings with Raven was her last resort in the matter as she quickly picked up the seemingly unsaid rules they followed... till now.

The camera zoomed in much to her glee as she read the lips, and heard through the speakers, of Raven as she made her answer known. "I would like to know."

The recording button was eagerly smashed into as she eagerly awaited the soon to be record of this event immortalized for her own personal use.

XVX

Konoha hideout

With Kurenai out in the streets to resume her duty once again, no classes today being held at the college which Ino managed to get them in with a great deal with manipulation with her family's roster of jutsu, and Neji watching Sasuke like a hawk since his slip up some days ago, she did what she had always done since... then. She curled up into a ball and silently wished to be left alone. She had done this for sometime now since then...

Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and Guy each made a bid to raise her spirits, to comfort her, and tell her that he was just a phase at whatever time they had for her.

But he wasn't...

Sakura, whether or not she admitted it or not, will forever have Sasuke as her hopes and dreams for life of love and comfort whereas she had Naruto...

Her teeth gritted as a fresh batch of tears threatened to spill from her.

He was her source for inspiration. He was her strength, her hope, and her life... and he did not want to be with her. Oh how he was sincere in letting her know that, even tried to encourage her to find someone else for her heart to accept, yet he was a fool if she dared say so. She was in too deep to forget him, to live without him, to move on.

He wouldn't even take her as the other woman...

And it hurt.

"Naruto..." Hinata whimpered.


	10. A tale of a past

**I do not own Naruto, Teen Titans, nor any other element that may or may not appear in this story! This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

**I would also like to note that by now I ****_have_**** watched ****_Blood Prison_**** at this point. Not hate-able but not impressive in my book to be held in regard. With that said, I give it three stars out of five at best.**

Silent as the...

Chapter 7: A tale of a past

_(Flashback!) _

Konoha, Elemental Nations

_"Genin, Chunin, Jonin, and Kage. Respectively those rankings are the recognized titles from beginner to master in the world of shinobi, the last of which being immortalized in fame for their power and skill that even the most vile of enemies have given a begrudging respect to on some level. At one time I all but worshiped that rank and the ground a living Kage walked on."_

From the triangular balcony of an apartment complex a boy of twelve years in age, dressed in an orange jumpsuit with blue shoulders and a white collar, stared at the Hokage monument, a series of stone faces carved into the mountain that was Konoha's rear, with a gleam in his eye and a smile of a promising future beckoning him.

_"Of course looking back on it now, I can see I had a long, long way to go... and that's not even acknowledging certain truths being hidden from me back then."_

The smile turned to a devious grin as his eyes followed suit in a mischievous gleam to match it, both being held as he dove into his apartment and barreled out of it with a paintbrush locked between his teeth and a few buckets of paint being carried in the crooks of his arms and hands. Even in his awkward state, he managed to arm himself with a foxy grin as he fled his apartment towards the monument with practiced ease.

_"So what went wrong?"_

_A strange chuckle was what met Raven before the actual reply came. "I guess the most accurate answer I could give you, as well as the shortest, would be that my faith in what could be was shattered."_

XVX

Now garnished with a blue headband bearing Konoha's signature leaf symbol, a younger Naruto walked along the outskirts of a park with an intent eye surveying a playground. More specifically he was eying a swing set that had been abandoned for the time being.

_"From where I'm from there is a particular art known as sealing that enabled whomever used it a great variety of skills and abilities provided they have the skill and understanding to properly use them. With the art of seal crafting came a great host of seals: Weight Seals to increase an object or a person's weight several times over as dependent on the design and established intent of the seal, Chakra seals to enable originally nonconductive materials to channel the taught power of its wielder with greater ease, and Repair seals to mend what was broken or torn to name just a few. Sealing at its core however is exactly what its name suggests, a means to put away what would be found in the world and contain it till it was called upon. With this basis anything found under the sun was capable of being stored away so long as the one who wrote the seal for it had applied to correct formula to contain it. Weapons could be stored away where an armory would have been needed, money could be hidden where safes and locks would have been the norm, and the very elements, both on an atomic scale an spiritual sense, could be sealed away till someone found a use for them."_

All of a sudden, the younger Naruto stopped without rhyme or reason as far as a passerby was concerned.

_"It was under this principle that a different kind of weapon that was both coveted and feared by those who sought power."_

Naruto's shadow, placid as a blade of grass in the wind, suddenly began to grow and twist into the rough outline of a gargantuan fox of nine tails with the clawed hands of a human and ears elongated like a rabbit.

_"Beings of a far greater power lived amongst those who inhabited the Elemental Nations and held little love to those who would disturb them for any reason, especially when the idea was conceived to bind them to human hosts so that they would be augmented by their power and wield abilities few others could hope to match let alone use."_

The shadow faded with time and allowed the true caster's image to return as if nothing had happened while Naruto slowly looked about the street to find himself alone... everyone else who inhabited the street were far more than content to keep their distance from him as cold, hardened eyes gazed back at him.

_"Those who have been cast into this slot whether by choice or ill timing on their part... pariah would be an apt description as any no matter the case and the choices thereafter for those under this role."_

_A pregnant pause ensued between them in the real world. "I see," Raven quietly uttered in understanding._

_"Strangely enough however, it never truly bothered me after the initial shock." An oddly amused scoff erupted from Naruto as a smirk adorned him at the same time for only a brief moment. "It was the "shadows" that bothered me."_

_"Shadows?"_

The young Naruto finally turned back to the swing set from before with a crisp frown as his sight took in an occurrence there. Beings of shadows, as dark as pencil lead when applied to paper, now haunted the swings as the vague image of a woman pushed an equally vague child merrily on the swing as both smiled despite their featureless state much to the young Naruto's unease as he knew it without truly seeing it.

_"Shadows amongst shadows of something my mind tried to remember but couldn't. They were always there no matter where I cast my eye, or where I went for that matter where these specters tried to fit themselves in places where even I knew they didn't belong."_

Snapping his head towards the front, a startled Naruto barely caught a scroll while startled eyes gaped slightly at the sudden appearance of the rest of Team Seven, geared for a trip leaving their walls, beckoning him to come in their own respective fashions before leaving. Looking off the swings once more, he frowned ever so slightly, the original having been lost since catching the scroll that now lay in his hands, as he found the shadow beings have vanished as quickly as they appeared.

_"The only time they left me was when a mission had been placed upon me, or if I was in the company of those I had called friends or allies for a time."_

Shrugging, arming himself with his moniker of a smile, the younger Naruto rushed off to join his team.

_"There was one exception however regarding the latter."_

XVX

In a forested dirt path, Naruto lazily ambled his way through the brush with both his hands behind his head that seemingly have been the only reason he hadn't fallen backwards from a yawn. A expertly tossed acorn saw to that part as it smacked his forehead with enough power to leave a dent.

_"Who was it?"_

_A low chuckle emanated from Naruto before his reply came. "Let's just say you've already met her."_

Casually trotting over to and hovering above him, Tenten in her garb of a pink sleeveless blouse with red bands where the sleeves would have started, dark green pants, and shinobi style sandals cheekily smiled down at a scowling Naruto as he gingerly rubbed his wounded head.

_"So you two did know each other..."_

_"Yes."_

From his downed position, Naruto leapt up to the best of his ability from an unprimed position. It was advantage enough for Tenten to whip around him and hold him at her mercy in a headlock with a triumphant smirk emblazoned on her lips whereas Naruto was screaming in frustration as he tried to escape.

_"... You could say we were something like siblings if anything at all."_

XVX

Targets of varying sizes and shapes littered an open field of grass with kunai having either nicked them, having struck true, or in between. Not far away stood the pair with a brace of kunai as their armament, ready to be let loose on a moment's notice with eager smiles to complement it.

_"We spent what time we could together provided that nothing warranted each other's time be it missions, training sessions with our own teams, and... certain days in the year."_

With no provocation, both let loose their kunai to hit where they may. Upon seeing his strike true, by margin at least, Naruto didn't resist the self satisfied smirk from spreading itself on him as he turned to Tenten. The smirk faded away upon seeing Tenten's gaze had turned to look over her shoulder, by following her gaze he came across the same shadow being with the hidden smile pleasantly standing back with her hands behind her back.

_"How we met we couldn't even remember, not that it bothered us to begin with... yet every now and then I couldn't help but think that she too shared my affliction."_

Armed with an embarrassed smile, the kunoichi quickly turned to Naruto upon noticing where he was staring at and laughed while a hand rubbed the back of her head.

_"She was just more subtle about it than me when it came to covering it up..."_

She simply twirled a finger around her temple while bonking herself lightly as voiced thoughts of her more obnoxiously loud teammates escaped her... she suddenly stiffened to the likeness of a shocked statue when said teammates suddenly presented themselves by standing up from the bushes with rivers running from their clenched eyes while declarations of self improvement filled the air. The cackling of a younger Naruto did not help one bit as a distraught weapons user collapsed onto the ground in a visible cloud of humiliation and embarrassment.

_"Of course over time, I guess we both learned to ignore it in our own fashions."_

_"What does this have to do with you coming to our universe?"_

_"Patience, I'm getting to it."_

XVX

Years past and with it comes change as an older Naruto, taller and having traded his jumpsuit for a tracksuit of a duller orange where a black T dominated his arms as it made its way from the middle at the bottom to the top as well as a matching cloth for his forehead protector, walked down yet another road. This road, unlike the previous one, lead directly to the Hokage Tower. Once more his shadow grew in length, only in the shape of a cone as opposed to a bizarre otherworldly fox.

In the shadow image after image flirted across it at the pace of a gentle breeze as some moments in his life were immortalized in a still frame or left to run in the course to which it had occurred.

_"Years passed, missions came and went, and I was still a genin at fifteen where everyone else had made chunin at minimum... I never really put forth any effort as to why that was outside of my inability to attend to the Chunin Exams at the time; being on a road trip with a loon who roped you in with delusions of grandeur and being on a team where you're the only genin in an exam that demanded a full team of such tended to deprive people the chance to advance up in rank. Yet at the time... well, "ignorance is bliss" would probably best describe how it was back then when I had accomplished more than enough to qualify for the rank. Of course why would I be discontent with my life back then? I came out of fights that many, including sightseeing priestesses, have claimed I should've died. I had done what had been deemed impossible considering my age and lack of training. I had... friends at the time and mentors. But most of all..."_

Coming to a sudden stop, the shadow returning to normal once more to befit his size, Naruto craned his head to a small restaurant with an open front with a father/daughter couple waving at him with a pair of smiles. In Ayame's hand, daughter of Terumi Ichiraku, was a ramen bowl beckoning him ever closer...

_"I had ramen."_

One step towards the pair in a mindlessly awed state, complete with a bit of drool, was as far as Naruto had gotten when Sakura seemingly appeared out of nowhere, to Naruto at least, to knock him out with a aggravated blow to the back of his head before dragging the crumpled body away to the tower. Even in his weakened, disorientated state, Naruto still had it within his power to claw into the ground in a desperate bid to reach the ramen bowl.

_"Yet all good things come to an end, unfortunately."_

Moments later the pair were inside the office of the Hokage, whom sat behind her desk with her hands interlocked with each other to hide the entirety of her face from the nose on down. On the desk, turned towards the visitors of the office, was a letter bearing the distinct seal of the Raikage of Kumo. Almost immediately upon entering the office, a pair of Anbu all but flew out of the shadows, cuffed him in manacles with several seals for chakra binding engraved into the metal, and slammed a fist into his solar plexus for good measure before dragging the defeated blond out the very portal he just came through, Sakura only looked on in both confusion, awe, and horror when her now limp teammate was dragged away.

With panic setting in Naruto's second wind came as his legs lashed out to find purchase on a bench, on a chair, desk, wall, anything that was even remotely close to ward off his soon to be fate. As he struggled, he let out a cry for help, even a cry for an explanation to his detainment, as he was being dragged away from the office in an unceasing tirade that carried on to the world outside...

No one lifted a finger as they either shared the dumbfounded state of Sakura, latched onto apathy for apathy's sake, or even sneered at him as the distance grew between him and Tsunade's office.

XVX

Hōzuki-jō

_"Cuffed in chains, deprived of the headband I once proudly wore, and framed for an attempted crime that I hadn't committed, or even had the power to try let alone the skill at the time to even try, I was stripped of my rights of a shinobi and carted off to a prison that catered to handling 'criminals' of this category."_

In the confines of a open aired courtyard, in the midst of other prisoners from other villages in a grouping of five, stood Naruto trying to reign in his already frazzled nerves as the situation for him only worsened with the 'enlightening' news as to why he was sent to the famed prison of Kusa. At the corners of the courtyard stood a guard at attention while two more guarded the approaching warden. He was a thin man of a dour disposition that aged him more than the actual years he had lived with lengthy black hair with no luster that went past his shoulders. His garb was that of the prison guard's though ornamented to tell of his significance, and missing of the spiked helmet the guards wore. His buttoned shirt, more like a jacket in its appearance, was of a darkened blue that held a closer resemblance to a grayed blue when the lighting was poor and was long enough in length to form what would be akin to a skirt as it went past a brown belt with a silver buckle while the coat's arms were given a pair of golden bands that ring around the limb, near the cuffs. He wore pants matching his coat in the majority its appearance that were tucked into brown boats that were as tall as half of his shin. Finally, wrapped around his shoulders was a black coat that dully fluttered with what wind that crept through the courtyard.

_"Hōzuki-jō, otherwise known as the Blood Prison, the Alcatraz of the Elemental Nations. It was on an island of no name separated from the mainland that the sea relentlessly assaulted both day and night. Keeping prisoners from escaping was mother nature herself as made evident with whirlpools that have sunk and drowned everything that was caught by them, their task however served more to keep unwanted visitors out rather than keep the prisoners inside when the warden of the prison made use of a sealing technique to keep everyone in line."_

The warden, not bothering to wait long enough to explain himself or hear out what pleas of innocence that would've erupted from the prisoners, quickly lashed out with an unprecedented speed on par with a jonin. His hands, before and after connecting to the chest of each of his victims, was coated in a raging fiery red that looked akin to a flame that was only put out when the prisoners were accounted for and left writhing as a burning sensation overtook them. One prisoner in a bid to quell this newfound pain tore open his shirt to inspect and hopefully put out the cause only to find a new pattern adorning his chest bearing the resemblance of a tattoo done in the color of charcoal, it was enough to prompt the others, save one, to open up their own clothes to find themselves branded as well in a segmented X pattern, made up of several bars, that curved with the contours of the body save for the top which curved around the neck almost like a choker as far as the X could permit. Along the bottom edges of the X that still visible on the chest, a pair of black pairs went down towards the waist.

_"This seal was known as the Heavenly Prison, and its purpose was far more than a means to render shinobi powerless in the aspects that made them formidable to begin with. Should the one who casted it wills it so, those branded by this seal will die a fiery death if the flames are not put out. If we ventured too far from the caster would meet their end by fire. If an amount of chakra far too great for the seal to discipline the caster, they would become human wicker men put to the torch. Even if death by flame was not an issue, the technique also served the purpose of slowly siphoning the chakra from the victim to maintain itself till there was nothing left to draw..."_

_"... What happens when there isn't any chakra?"_

_"While it's possible to live without the use of chakra, be it from lack of training or by sealing it away from use, should the chakra supply the human body creates be depleted to where none is to be had, they _will_ die."_

In the starry cover of darkness a figure slowly arose from the poorly lit paths of a sparsely illuminated prison and crawled onto the tiled rooftop. Naruto, having slipped out of his cell, swiveled his head about to pick out what guards he could find and to see if he had been spotted before he dashed towards the nearest wall with an all too eager grin splitting his lips. Even without enhanced speed, he made it to the edge in a matter of seconds before leaping towards a wall with outstretched arms and wide spread hands ready to latch onto whatever came into their clutches.

With a quieted "oof!" he landed on the wall and began to climb with a rewarding grin now dominating him, only for it to be lost seconds later as he heard the telltale signs of a patrol lazily marching along the wall. Immediately he lowered himself to hide himself from the passing guards.

_"Save for the warden, all the guards were basically civilians charged with keeping us in. They were lazy and more than one of them were not afraid to avoid to gym or a reasonable facsimile as number of them allowed their girth to expand. As insulting as it was to shinobi harden by years of conflict, it wasn't without reason thanks to the seal that virtually compelled them to be on their best behavior if they wished for a long life."_

Teeth gritted in anxiety when Naruto suddenly lurched downward as his grip on the stone slipped on the relatively smooth surface. It slipped again, compelling him to trying to climb forward despite the risk of being spotted... His bid for safety however was unrewarded. His grip skipped out and with a short cry he plummeted without concern for the now alert guards, a complete contrast to the concern allotted to himself as he wildly clawed into the air to save himself only to claw into dirt when the ground he had landed upon was nothing more than a false front for spiked stakes below. Teeth gritted in both strain, frustration, and panic set in as the baying of hounds and the stomping treds of guards rapidly grew closer.

_"Death traps awaiting for hapless victims and tracking hounds also helped ease their jobs..."_

XVX

Naruto was hurled into a small secluded room through a steel door with nothing but the clothes on his back and a barred window acting as the sole decoration for the otherwise barren cell. After waiting a moment upon landing, the blond container sneaked towards the door and began to find whatever fault he could take advantage of with a smuggled kunai.

_"With lax security came its perks that even a novice could take advantage of without even knowing about it. Newcomers were often a source for an ever growing hidden stash of weaponry while the more bold actually pilfered weapons from the armories, and the borderline suicidal dared to raid the laboratories that lie in the heart of the Blood Prison when no ruckus was great enough to force attention elsewhere."_

_"I'm assuming those laboratories were not exactly known to the outside world..."_

_A low wistful chuckle arose from Naruto. "You're right. As far as the civilian and even shinobi populace of Kusa knew, those labs were nothing but rumors concocted by the prisoners to illicit what sympathy there was to be given. And with no village to back them, no public opinion or private interest to care for them, a veritable army of shinobi was readily available to be made use of at their leisure."_

Finding no success, the blond finally relented and taken his search to the walls as time crept by without regard. His search only relented with the opening of the door and a guard coming to escort him to the prison proper.

_"Yet there were rules even the less than cordial of the prison had to follow lest they arouse the ire of other parties that managed to keep a healthy tab on the workings of the prison. When someone did manage to cause trouble they would be locked away in isolation for a set period of time. The first offense would be detainment from the outside world for three days, a second offense would be for five days, a third would be for a week, and finally a fourth disruption would be for life... The first time was when In tried to escape."_

With only a slight scowl creasing itself upon him, Naruto stood and exited the cell promptly. The door remained closed for but a few seconds before Naruto was tossed back in.

_"The second time was for acting out on a rumor that if the warden was defeated, the seal would dissipate."_

_"That seems a bit foolish," Raven commented dryly._

_"True. While I may have failed in that bid for freedom, I was vindicated when that rumor was indeed a fact when Mui, the warden, died years later."_

With a more pronounced scowl, Naruto resumed his activities from before while time passed by with the passing of the sun and moon respectively, halted only when the door was opened once more for another guard to escort the leaf shinobi out. Naruto's scowl did not relent as he left once more only to be put back in with a set of teeth marks ruining already dirtied clothes and marking healing flesh.

_"The third time was for mugging a guard, taking his uniform, and trying to escape... I ended up wandering too close to one of the guard dogs on my way out."_

For a third time in a row the door had been opened and once more Naruto was escorted out only to be thrown back in, his form now bruised as opposed to bitten.

_ "And the fourth time?"_

_"It's that obvious eh?"_

_"Living proof I've been fighting crime too long."_

_A small weary chuckle was shared between them for a brief moment. "I managed to make it as far as the outer courtyard during a prisoner transfer in yet another stolen uniform, only this time my helmet was knocked off during a brawl that suddenly erupted in a last minute bid to escape by the latest group of prisoners when Mui was away."_

_"Ah."_

Not one to be deterred, especially when vexed, Naruto whipped out his smuggled kunai and began to hack away at the window bearing wall by using the knife as a digging tool to chip away at the stone. Behind him as he dug into the wall, a stone slab shook and twisted as someone, man with a ragged short sun burnt brown beard that started to sprout gray hairs, as well as the hair on his head that managed to escape the folds of a dingy dirtied blue bandana, arose from the depths underneath it. As soon as he spotted the otherwise distracted genin, he let loose a small but sharp whistle to grab his attention much to the latter's startling shock that caused him to chip his kunai from a less successful blow against the wall.

_"I was not the only one who was met with this fate, nor was I the only one who wished to escape for whatever reason that was justified in their book be it evil or benign. Just some were far more patient than others, and willing to mess with the minds of the guards while they were at it."_

Ignoring the blonde's dumbfounded look, the older man ushered the teen to the hole he stood in without leaving it with an aggravated scowl consuming his features as he risked a glance towards the door. In less than a minute of registering there was a visitor in his cell, Naruto shook his head clear and made for the hole, only climbing in after the older man climbed out of it to allow him passage through the newfound portal. Again the older man risked a look towards the door while the blond squirreled himself away before deeming his task complete and ending it by jumping back into the hole and sealing the passage shut with a seamless blend of stone washed with stone much to the guards' shock when they came to deliver the teen his daily meal soon after his escape.

_"What we did was called "Demoning Away" by the guards,outside of recruiting newly incarcerated shinobi in isolation it also served to make the guards paranoid enough to believe that the isolation cells, if not the prison, was cursed; that prisoners sent there were dragged away into the pits of hell or another terrible fate once it had been decreed that they were to spend the rest of their lives in the cells."_

_"I'm going to hazard a guess and say that it served exactly the latter purpose, didn't it?"_

_"... We may have added fuel to that fire by marching around with heavy chains in our hands and groaning the song of the vengeful dead."_

_"... In the event you meet my friends after this, I'm not above giving you a concussion if you give Beast Boy that idea."_

_"Fair enough."_

_"... You said "We."_

Crawling through the darkness, Naruto had no way of telling where he was going let alone of any dangers that lurked in the shadowed world ofHōzuki-jō's interior. It was of no surprise to him, the man behind him, and a third prisoner waiting at the end in what was essentially a room made of the natural workings of the earth that Naruto fell face first into the floor when his tunnel was made found out to be a few feet above the actual floor. Rather than wait for the blond to right himself, the third member, cloaked in the shadows, roughly pulled Naruto up to his feet and proceeded to lead him through the corridors to a vast room, carved out from the rock as made evident by the evidence revealed by torchlight, filled with a gathering of over fifty people.

_"We called ourselves Rashomon. Men, women, even children in some cases who banded together to share in the ultimate goal of escaping Hōzuki-jō, and to that end we increased our numbers by "Demoning Away" prisoners in the isolation cells, and on occasion from regular cells if we were particularly lucky, and collecting what weapons we could provided they were usable."_

_"Rashomon- interesting name for a gang."_

_"I grant you that not everyone in it deserved to be free but not everyone had performed the deeds they were accused of while others... lived in the gray between good and evil if nothing else. Some were there for simply refusing to take part in deeds that called forth one's conscious... and some cases it was because they were a means to an end to leverage others."_

From the outskirts of the host a woman in well managed remains of a dark blue kimono, though shortened by wear against the rock and nicked by both jagged stone and sharpened implements that forced the kimono to be cannibalized to patch it up in various spots to protect her decency. From what could be seen, she was a tall women for her age, being roughly eighteen or so in her age, by being a few inches short of six feet in height without sacrificing any that which defined her a woman despite her age. Her hair was that of long purple tresses that went as far as her waist with triangular locks framing her face along her cheeks while a third came down the middle, accompanied by a few loose strands of congregated hairs, that curved to the side before reaching her nose for dissipating. Her blue eyes were as silent but welcoming as her smile that was given to a slightly blushing Naruto who grinned back.

_"Of course it was after my... "rescue" if you will that the proverbial ball started rolling."_

XVX

Ducking behind a large piece of lab equipment, its purpose unknown to those who neither made it or used it for its intended purpose, a shadowed figure pulled out a kunai and carefully held it aloft to spy on those illuminated by a overhead lamp through the reflection on the blade. In it, Mui and several figures wearing ornate golden helmets in the design of animals, numbering in four total aside from Mui, were standing around a table with a squirming shinobi, stripped bare of his shirt along with whatever accessory he had worn, strapped against the table.

_"After my joining did I learn of the existence of the laboratories and their purpose, and even later as to the reasoning as to why I was framed as well as the how. Kusa had in its possession what was called the Box of Ultimate Bliss, believed to grant the one who could open it their greatest wish."_

As quick as lightning, Mui flashed through a series of hand signs and the prisoner stilled as he arched forward and froze. Chakra, made manifest by whatever power that was in play, seeped from the man's body and coagulated to an ethereal ball that threatened to disappear as it twisted and seethed to free itself even as it was pulled away by an invisible power and sucked into what appeared to be a giant demon mask bearing the faint reminiscence of a fish's head, with fins, if given a human's appearance and a small animalistic nose. With the disappearance of the chakra, the captive's body fell to the table as a lifeless heap with a pained look of terror etched upon his face.

_"But they couldn't open it through cordial means, could they?"_

_"Yes... chakra, and in vast amounts, was needed to open the box and so far no one, both prisoner and volunteer, could provide the toll the box required by themselves-"_

_"And a sudden amount of prisoners disappearing would only attract unwanted attention."_

_"... I thought you said only Robin jumped to sudden conclusions," Naruto teased for but a moment._

One of the masked members slammed a fist into the table and quaked in rage while Mui and the others turned to several approaching figures coming from the shadows.

_"Their desire with the box was to make Kusa the dominant power in the world, for that to happen they used and acquired whatever was in arms reach to find someone of significant power to unlock the box with what discretion that could be applied lest they incurred the wrath of the greater villages, as well as those who opposed this wish in their very own village. To that end they bribed officials to keep their mouths shut, blackmailed others, held hostages, and even fooled their own guards to get what they want just to name a few..."_

Several prisoners stepped forward into the light garbed and armed with varying pieces of armor and weaponry that could be supplied on such short notice ranging from fresh guard uniforms, armored around the arms and chest for riot purposes, to kunai and swords. Wordlessly the warden turned to them to level a calculating stare upon them, an action mirrored by his masked companions, before raising his hand and ushering them away with a soundless order.

_"Just to find someone like you," Raven mused calmly._

_"Just to find someone like me," he confirmed. "Yet with my disappearance was the final straw for the powers that be, and to call the bluff that was the "Demoning Away," they began using the more desperate of shinobi, those yearning for freedom, a clean slate in the world outside, and to stall their deaths by the hands of the warden or his allies, to investigate the underground passages that ran under the prison."_

The shadowed figured stowed away the knife with the departure of the conscripted shinobi and made to leave through a fissure hidden in the shadows only to stop as a flask of a translucent lime green substance that was stopped by a cork firmly planted in its only point of entry came to the figure's attention. A cautionary glance was given was given to the gathering, whom were still at the table now discussing future plans and the details of which, before the figure swiped the container from its table and vanishing through the crevice. Again the shadowed figure, now further obscured by the natural darkness of the stone tunnels, emerged from the safety of the unsuspected means of travel and rushed down a path with an expert grace that render the need to see pointless that was further honed by memories of navigation far greater than a map.

It didn't take long for the figure to find the group of conscripted prisoners entering the tunnels through guarded and fortified means. The flask was primed and the figure awaited as the group ventured forth with torches as their guides, awaiting for a chance to optimize the impending attack in one fell swoop.

_Crash!_

He didn't have to wait long as several of them congregated into a small heard as they neared an intersection. Green vapors, as seen by the dancing flame from the now frantic swings of the torches to spot whoever just assailed them, crept up from the shadowed rock floor alongside the gasses that had not the same luxury of being seen, but were no less lethal. The blazing pieces of wood were left to the mercy of gravity as their wielders dropped them in favor of clutching at their throats as the air in their lungs were robbed from them with no fresh intake to keep them alive.

_"For three years it slowly became a war of escalation unknown by the world at large that slowly stripped both sides of their restrictions, and in doing so enabled me to learn a truth that was kept from me ten years beforehand."_

_"... What was it?" Raven asked in paused curiosity._

_"The truth about myself, and what my mind had long sought to remember."_

In a secluded room lighten by a brazier stood an uncomfortable Naruto in boxers with a torn rage for an eye patch that blood had stained since its placement. At his side was the teenage woman from before who now had within her grasp his right arm to which she fondly wrapped both arms around and even pressed against her cloaked bosom without hesitation, she only smiled at him affectionately as a blush furiously burned the blond teen's cheeks for that which she held no objection to. Before him sat Rio Bunkai, his eyes seemingly disappeared under the hairy cliffs that were his eye brows while to their side sat an elderly man in ragged clothes that had long lost their luster in the gloom of the cavern walls. His beard went as far as his kneecaps as he made himself comfortable in his seat, his hair being a dingy white as it slowly converted from gray to white by the rights of aging. Built and latched around him was a strange apparatus of wood and metal, the latter being for the joints for the wood in the majority of its use, built in a faint resemblance to a skeleton, minus the complexity of the skeletal system in favor of a simplified construction, in its design as it wrapped around his body from beneath the neck to the top of his otherwise bare feet. At the back of this strange 'armor' sat two pumps that softly creaked and groaned as they moved on their own accord. Beneath the pumps, connected by what appeared to be a sander belt powered by the pumps, sat a iron case that flimsily guarded several gears that quietly worked, feeding what power they could to wires connected to its protection that followed the simple construct like veins that stuck to the inside as much as possible.

Riko grunted as he raised and reached out to Naruto, his hand coated in chakra to those able to see it, and lightly prodded into his chest with the utter tips of his outstretched fingers. The container's teeth gritted as the sudden influx of chakra rushed through him with a single minded purpose that threatened to topple him over even with the help of his affectionate companion who helped him remain on his feet with concern evident in her otherwise glistening eyes. The Heavenly Prison seal marked upon his chest vanished as it a broom had swept through his chest like it would a floor. Despite feeling weak, though rejuvenated as his chakra came to full capacity once more, Naruto gave himself a once over to ensure he was free from the trappings of the prison seal before turning to the young woman with a bright smile which she returned in kind.

The joy shared between the two however was short lived. The former monk rose with a sudden gravity that elicited the even older man's attention, and virtually occupied the space in front of the blond before either could register his startling presence. Reaching out once more, the same hand that freed Naruto of the "heavenly" seal brushed apart loose blond locks of hair that obscured a previously unseen seal plastered upon his brow. It was a dot the size of a finger print encircled by a linked chain of a ring, the space between the two was written in kanji far too small to be read by the normal eye.

_"As time progressed, the warden and his allies grew increasingly more aggressive in their campaign now it was confirm that someone, or at least something, was in the tunnels that they sent more and more teams to divulge the truth and flush out those that would oppose them. The first waves were easy, especially when we had the element of surprise on our side... then they started to send in shinobi without the Heavenly Prison seals on them. Rashomon, by majority, was not hindered by the seals since a method had been discovered and utilized in destroying the seals, though they did not do so lightly. Until these seal-less shinobi were set against us, the protocol for Rashomon was to leave the seal on the newcomers for the period of a month as to gauge their loyalty the group, or at least determine them as not a threat, before releasing them of the seal. Unfortunately this turn of events forced the group's hand into pushing for an earlier release for the newfound members... my process however was different."_

The giant of a man turned to the older man with a wordless question upon his lips. The elder in turn only looked to Naruto, his gaze followed shortly by the enlarged man whereas the only woman in the room armed herself with a pensive frown of concern as she latched herself ever tighter to the now worried blond.

_"With their staked interest in me it wasn't hard to be concerned when they found a seal that wasn't supposed to be there. It was just an insurance in the event I was beyond their control as far as any of us knew."_

Naruto gave a hesitent nod, and once more the massive monk's hand was coated in chakra as a long finger approached the seal that was hidden till the sudden influx of chakra revealed it.

_"Unfortunately in this regard, those who were involved with my framing were innocent to this plot."_

The seal dispersed under the prod of a single finger. Moments passed as Naruto unnaturally stood still. Slowly the ex-monk edged his hand away as he observed the teen before him, the elderly man even dared to edge closer from his stool of a rock to gaze upon the blond with a critical eye. From his side, Naruto's companion called out to him ever so softly at first only for her to call to him louder and louder as time, concern, and panic began to set in.

It wasn't without justification.

Naruto plummeted to the ground with the same grace as a bag of bricks, unfeeling and unaware of the pain that stung him as well as the now frantic call for him to return to his senses amongst other things. All the while as he was shaken, checked, and even slapped to have him return to his consciousness, his mind was far gone.

_"What was thought to be a seal planted on me to ensure some measure of control over me was in fact another seal entirely that fed off excess and subconscious use of chakra. Its purpose was simple as it was effective: It was to seal away memories, leaving the victim a vulnerable dupe that was easily preyed upon by those around them if the caster took the steps to ensure an accidental jarring wasn't a risk... Without this seal in place, the life I thought I had was washed away in favor of the life I _did _have."_

The slowly forming tears in his remaining eye did nothing to alleviate the fear stricken woman trying to resurrect the bond to the state he was before.

XVX

Konoha

A woman of red hair that went as far as her waist, blue eyes, and wearing a white sleeveless blouse overlapped by an all encompassing green dress merrily pushed a child of blond hair with whisker marks on his cheeks.

XVX

In an apartment meant for a small family, the same child sulked as the woman tended to various cuts and bruises as she admonished him for fighting.

XVX

In a small secluded field the child and with a girl around his age if not a year older, where they flung kunai after kunai, shuriken after shuriken, with no effect on his part whereas the other child had the minimal success in at least striking the target in comparison. Behind them as they practiced their aim stood the woman with a pleasant smile on her face as she casually observed the two.

_"So those shadows..." Raven started._

_"Yes; a life I was forced to forget trying to be remembered," Naruto solemnly confirmed._

_"... Why?" Raven asked with a hesitance she solemnly hid._

_"Because it was the most useful tool in aiding the Third Hokage's preferred method to 'solving' the troubles of regarding children with a troubled past..."_

XVX

In the apartment of the mother and child, the younger Naruto was being tucked into bed by his mother. Pecking his forehead, the woman stood straight and headed for the door to which she opened fully as she came to a stop so she could bade him good night with a smile.

It came so quick that her smile stayed in place as her head crashed into the floor before Naruto realized it. Her now headless body clueless fell to the floor in a heap that pumped blood into a newborn puddle that rapidly grew while the one who done it strode over the body with swift precision to reach the boy without breaking what amounted to a powerwalk. He was certainly a tall man garbed in a cloak that was parted to reveal an arm as well as the armor, a charcoal colored Anbu's varient of shinobi wear with dark clothing to hide the body the armor protect, while the outlying hand wielded a sword stained in blood that had yet to be removed successfully despite the precise flicking of the blade. The only marker to identify him was the mask that guarded his face, a mask split in half with a solid field of black on the right side of the person's face while his left was as white as snow. It's own field was broken by a single eyehole in it that allowed the wearer to peer outside.

_"While I was not the only one he did this too, I was the only one who was arguably justifiable to the former Hokage's methods to 'solving' problems. What could be more traumatizing than to see your own mother slain before your eyes while her killer came to end you?"_

Naruto woke up in a cold sweat to find himself in a hospital, his pajamas had been removed in favor of a medical gown that concealed heavy bandaging on his arms and his ribs. The sound of an argument taking place outside him room drew his atention to the shadowed figures lurking past his door's window, one of which recognizable due to the diamond hat that he constantly wore due to his station.

_"In my state of terror, compounded with the sudden death of my mother, I was unwittingly used as a conduit for what was sealed within me to preserve his own life as opposed to my own... for better or worse I cannot remember what happened. What I do know was that my mother's killer had managed to escape, and in the process had to sacrifice some of his equipment to distract a berserk me long enough to accomplish this and in doing so he made the error in judgment to abandon the contract declaring payment for my death, probably thinking that it was one of his equipment scrolls as he tried to escape what would be a fubar situation for him between me and every jonin or higher doubtlessly coming straight to his position thanks to a child that couldn't be killed so easily. What I also know was that the one who contracted the would be assassin was hired by a member of the council that ran the village..."_

The figure arguing with the Third Hokage hung his head and marched off to accomplish whatever task that had been assigned to him. The Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, entered the room with a expression as grave as the circumstances warranted, promptly ignoring the question that had been cast to him by a younger Naruto as he took a seat next to the wounded child's bed. The blond container's went unanswered as they were stifled as the elderly man brought a finger up to the child's forehead and lightly tapped against it. In less than a second a finger print sized dot appeared followed shortly by link after link intertwining with one another as they formed a ring, lastly lettering too small to be read without a lens filled the gap in between the two before the seal in its entirety faded as quickly as it appeared. Swaying side to side, Naruto groaned lightly as he fell back into the head, his eyes far too heavy to remain open.

_"Unfortunately, as I unwittingly learned during my amnesiac state, justice for the death of my mother was never met. Then again, I guess I shouldn't be surprise since my memory were taken from me..."_

XVX

Naruto stood before a door to an apartment which was opened by Hiruzen. It was a small place meant for one, or at least a couple or trio with no plans for a family.

_"As well as my home."_

XVX

In a secluded grove, Naruto flung every bladed projectile with mounting frustration as the ones that did hit the target bounced off with only a dent to prove they even landed or a nick at the very best. His hand gripped a kunai tighter as he morosely stared at the dull blade that dimly gleamed back at him. He sighed as he resumed his target practice once more with the ineffective weapons.

_"And the inheritance I was supposed to be bestowed with immediately as dictated by my mother should she ever die."_

_"Inheritance?"_

_"Money, the house, weapons from her own days as a kunoichi, the belongings left behind by my father, and the scrolls from my clan that my mother had kept all these years since her homeland's destruction... none of it was given to me since her death." A humorless chuckle emerged from Naruto. "I didn't even know I had an inheritance till I stumbled upon it years later..."_

_"... So who else did he do this too?"_

XVX

_"Though not as grandiose in execution, perhaps because they were both publicly known, the principal remained the same."_

Before a house bearing the Uchiha crest of a red fan with a white handle stood a lone dark haired boy, no one else, trying his best to keep himself from crying as his body quaked. His one and only company was the buildings around him and the wind.

_"Sasuke Uchiha, his family massacred as well as his kinsmen. Rumors spoke that he too witnessed the murder of his own parents, or at least saw the bodies, the night it happened and encountered the very person responsible for it in one go. Like me, he too was left to his own devices without so much as the odd person coming to check his health."_

XVX

In a darkened room sat a lone girl of light brown hair on a stool in front of a canvas depicting of the world outside. On the ground around her were several buckets of paint, pallets, brushes, and other tools of the artistic trade.

_"Yakumo Kurama. By the will of an Id given form within her mind, she unwittingly killed her own parents in her sleep by setting fire to her home by a genjutsu much too real for anyone's taste. With only the aftermath of what happened known to her, the Hokage's solution was to lock her away from the world at large and leave her only in the company of guards whose only goal was to keep her in her designated prison."_

_"And Bell?"_

_Silence ensured between the two before Naruto huffed jovially at a joke lost to Raven. "An orphan long before me. If I'm right then all that was done to her was have the same type of seal placed upon her to deterred an accidental break of my own seal should we have met again, which we did for that matter... it was the strangest sense of déjà vu when that happened."_

XVX

Before the gate of Konoha stood Naruto who seemingly gazed blandly at the enlarged sign over the gate that signified the Hidden Village's homestead with his visible eye. His jumpsuit, ragged by the years, had been replaced with a dark blue short sleeved shirt and light brown pants though the sandals remain the same despite the wear and tear evident on them. Covering him from the neck down till a few inches from the ground was a darker brown cloak. Looking to his side uncomfortably, he tugged at the cloak and ensured a katana with a weathered bandage grip and a blank charm at the end of a chain was tightly secured where it should be as he reluctantly ventured toward the gate.

As he traveled to the gate, he spent one last glance towards the road behind him and frowned as he still found himself alone before wiping the glower from his face as he returned his attention to the growing portal.

_"Needless to say years had passed since the day I was imprisoned. Battles were fought, a prison and its conspiracy were broken, and after awhile I came back to the very village where it all began to settle unfinished businesses."_

_"Seems strange to go back..." Raven commented, though Naruto picked up the hint._

_"If anyone is to live any sense of a bearable life then there's something they'd need to remember: Be honest with yourself. As much as I wanted to deny it, a part of me wanted what was trapped in my head to be a cruel joke played upon me, though admittedly that was not the only reason for my return. I wanted to know the reason why I was locked up, even if it meant risking myself to be locked away once more, and ultimately claim a means to escape Konoha. Of course I'll admit the last part was a gamble on par with the defeating Mui..."_

_"Considering what you told me thus far, it doesn't seem you heed the risks in any event," Raven remarked, much to Naruto's amusement._

_"I'm fairly sure it wouldn't surprise anyone who know me that I might meet my end that way. Upset? Guaranteed save for some cases, but not surprise."_

Naruto passed through the gate and its set of guards without contest save for an all but optional escort to the tower. A irritated escort to be specific when the selected method of travel was by foot rather than rooftops as the designated urgency placed upon Naruto's arrival was not shared by the blond himself. As they meandered through the streets, a lone blue eye discreetly peered at the surrounding buildings that were slowly passed by along with the people that milled about. There was no real change to be seen or deduced on Naruto's part. Walls may have been repainted but they remained the same. Merchandise of the latest design or model were out on display yet their respective purpose as a whole remained the same. Traveling merchants manned the stalls of wood and cloth in the spots of those who came before them and perhaps lucked out on if they were still around to begin with. Newly minted shinobi from the academy were parading about with the enthusiasm yet to be daunted by a life of work and battle, and the citizens, as well as shinobi, went about their business much like they had done long before his very first departure.

The closest thing to change was from the collective confusion, and shock for some, as Naruto walked past them without either truly acknowledging the other in words. The scowls of some were not missed in any sense of the word whereas the jovial recognition, later morphed into a form of trepidation upon seeing the cloth eye patch when it was discovered, was held with a reserved fashion of refreshment to an otherwise distant heart that made its way to the office of a gaping Hokage who was just short of killing her third bottle of sake in a row. Accompanying her in the room soon afterward by news of Naruto's return, after said teen's arrival, were those Naruto had fight beside and bonded with years before his imprisonment. Each had their own story to tell as it became known to the one eyed blond.

As nonchalant as his apparent attitude was amidst the gaggle of people welcoming him back, albeit with a concerned sense of morbidity upon seeing the new addition to Naruto's attire, he flicked a chipped piece of stone out from the inside of his cloak and watched on as Tsunade visually gaped at the rock in recognition of what it used to be a part of.

_"My "mission," as they called it after my return, was to destroy the Box. That no one truly believed I was responsible for the crimes that were reason enough to imprison me."_

A long blue shifted towards those he could naturally spot and gauged them and the markers as to their mood. Their emotions were worn on their sleeves while an explicit few actually tried to near him despite the aura that kept the others at bay.

_"Yet three years does not change what had happened," Raven surmised._

_"Had I been there for a few weeks, a month or two perhaps at most, I may have been able to smile and walk it off like I had done so many times before after awhile."_

The Fifth Hokage rose from her desk, bent over to reach into a drawer which she promptly closed after opening, and walked over to Naruto with a gentle smile and a familiar headband with a glistening steel plate attached to it. Her smile wasn't returned in kind. The headband was politely taken from her hand, the glinting metal dancing in the light one last time before it disappeared into the cloak and pocketed as oppose to worn.

If anyone was aware of this particular act, then their feigned ignorance was nothing less than a masterful performance for both shinobi and actors.

XVX

In the dead of night, garbed in clothing as black as the star filled sky, Naruto slinked into the shadows of an abandoned apartment complex as far as his eye could tell. Only two people came near to qualifying as residents to the building were a pair of shinobi, kunoichi specifically, seemingly lost in a conversation between them across the street as they lingered on the outskirts of a business that had yet to call it a night.

Not that it mattered. There were few that could sneak up on the users of the byakugan naturally.

The building was condemned, the reason left behind by the bureaucratic paperwork that made it so though Naruto could guess the true cause. Thanks to its stubborn residents, all attempts to destroy the building were ultimately delayed for years till the appointed day had come after evicting the last tenant out.

Oh how life loved to intervene... If he wasn't a bastard to all but himself, if he wasn't a being whose very presence felt like oil drenching one's very soul , Naruto would probably thank Orochimaru for inadvertently putting the building in a permanent stasis as demands for reconstruction overshadowed the need to destroy one abandoned complex. Now it stood as a forgotten relic that showed the compounded neglect cast upon it; a tomb that held no corpse to enshrine for eternity till the vestiges of both time and fate collaborated in its destruction that no soul would be aware of. Nothing barred Naruto in his path, nor of his entry into the apartment that time seemed to have forgotten.

Dust was all that greeted him with the opening of the door while shadows skittered from the beam of a flashlight he brought along for the occasion despite the white eye's piercing gaze.

_"It wasn't long before I ended up where it all began..."_

A frown creased his lips as a hidden compartment hidden under a rug was found by his eye in what appeared to be the remains of the living room, yet that was not where he headed to first. The walk down the hallway was short, almost too short for his liking as strange as it was, where he up ended just short of a door bearing his name written by a undefined hand just past the miniature living room that hadn't lived up to its name, forever marked by claw marks, scorch marks, and cuts from a blade by a battle none knew of. The only window to the room had been boarded up, the curtains drawn to a close. Slowly, quietly, almost hesitantly, his hand reached for the knob that held the barrier in place and turned the handle to be greeted by the continued sight of a short lived battle, and half hearted attempts to disprove the body that once stained the wood floor.

The door was closed as quietly as it was when opened by the same hand, now a tightened fist, that manipulated it.

No time was wasted as he set to work on the living room, removing the rug and opening the compartment door to reach the contents of a box of two scrolls and perusing the contents.

It was a will addressed to him as he soon discovered.

_"The truth, like knowledge, can be either liberating or damning if not both as I learned..."_

XVX

Having changed his clothes once more to an attire of all black with boots as opposed to sandals, save for a belt with a silver buckle, he virtually stalked both the inside and outside of the Konoha Library, marking guards, jotting down shifts, and theorizing defenses in the off limits section of the library.

_"It took awhile but I deduced where my family's inheritance was located through some trial and error. It was almost silly really since it should have been obvious if I stopped and thought about it in the first place. The very last place I would have looked no matter what life I have led-_

_"The Library," Raven interjected as a matter of fact._

_"... That's almost scary in how you knew where I looked at last."_

_"As you said before, Beast Boy reminded you of yourself when you were younger," Raven coolly remarked._

_"I'm not sure whether to consider this funny or sad that some traits from Beast Boy are frighteningly similar to some of my own, former or not."_

_"I personally lean towards sad."_

_"That smirk seems to belie your bent."_

_"I still stand by it."_

_"Careful, you might end up smiling if you keep this up." An accepting hum was Raven's only reply._

Looking towards the sun, Naruto's frown returned as minute calculations and plans were formulated as he climbed into a tree and awaited the end of the day. In the tree he pulled out a scroll from one of his pockets and unsealed a kunai holster and lightly tapped it to his leg.

_"Out of curiosity, would it not make more sense to guard what was taken from you in a base of some kind?"_

_"I'll admit, those were my thoughts too for a time till a certain train of thought diverted me to the library. My clan, the Uzumaki clan was once a nation onto itself on an island off the coast of the Land of Fire. Though small, they were both revered and feared for their mastery of the sealing arts that many either stole from them when they could or, as proven by the course of events unfolded long before I was born, set to destroy. My mother, an Uzumaki, had her share of the scrolls that taught Uzumaki after Uzumaki of their ways in both sealing and abilities. With so many enemies and a extreme few that were on par with them, would you not believe it reasonable to assume that a clan of seal masters developed a seal based defense to keep outsiders at bay should their teachings be stolen?"_

_"I see," Raven quietly replied. "What were in those scrolls that you were willing to risk life and limb for?" she suddenly asked._

_A pause occurred between the two which was only broken by a defeated sigh on Naruto's part. "In the Elemental Nations exists a technique known as Summoning. While its used to transport items and people across great distances, the original purpose was to call forth beings who have agreed to fight at your side should you meet their terms or if they like you well enough to work with you after you signed their respective contract. All summons that inhabit the Elemental Nations now are at least the descendants of those who came from another dimension after their ancestors had learned how to wield and manipulate chakra to breach the walls that would separate our worlds to send contracts through, what their reasoning for that however is beyond me. As a means of a test after the initial contracts were given and signed, and should said contract somehow be lost, they taught those who had signed the contracts the very means to pierce reality to come to their own dimension to prove their worth. It wasn't without its flaws however: Some summoners were lost forever by the slightest of errors, others killed, and the less than noble summonable beings murdered summoners when they crossed over to their dimension as a means to sow discord, chaos, and a means to frame others to improve their own stations. To avoid losing what gain there was to be had, a grand number of the summons crossed over to the Elemental Nations and made their home their while a select few remained behind to uphold the traditions they had set."_

_"Am I right to assume that the Uzumaki clan still held onto the means to cross dimensions?"_

_"Yes. As I am here today, having this conversation with you for that matter, I believe it's safe to simply say they improved upon it."_

_"What was the most prominent reason you went after your clan scrolls?" Raven suddenly queried._

_Again another pause ensued before Naruto gave her his answer. "Though I had another means to leave my universe, I had actually hoped to kill two birds with one stone. Not only would I reclaim, in part at least, what was taken from me as a child, I had hoped to find the very same means to leave my universe..."_

With the holster secured, Naruto pulled out the katana out a hand's width for inspection as he awaited for the sun to finally vanish behind the horizon. He closed the blade and contented himself by watching those below who left the library as well as those who began their last rounds to shoo away stragglers and lock the portals leading inside.

_"I see..."_

_(End Flashback!)_

XVX

Park, Jump City

Raven leaned back against the bench while keeping the blond at the edge of her peripheral vision. His case now laid atop his lap in favor for him to lean back against the bench as well, his arm slung over the arm rest to the side while the blond had made himself comfortable long before her.

"One thing strikes me odd though," Raven suddenly spoke.

"Hm?"

She glanced at him before looking forward. "Let's just say most people are hardly forward with anything if they can help it." The worn chuckle did nothing to attract her attention, nor truly alleviate her wary mood for that matter. He wasn't lying as far as she knew, but even she knew he was hiding a few things from her in what wasn't said... yet she wasn't any better.

Everyone had secrets much to their benefit and regret.

"True, very true. Being a shinobi, a person whose life deals with death and deception, hardly does me justice," he said with a wistful smile. It was abandoned but a moment later. "I'm not going to claim myself either a saint nor a sinner in any case. Hero or villain for that matter either." Tiredly he looked up to the sky, going so far as to rest the back of his cranium against the bench. "I'm not here to try to take over the world or threaten so much as a small community it at the very least, but I'm not going to look anyone in the eye and tell them I'm going to play nice. If you and your friends wish to fight me in the name of justice, so be it. But know this: I will be fighting for my right to stay whether anyone likes it or not."

Raven turned to look at him more directly with the slight shifting as his mood took a turn to a more disheartened state. "However with that said, enemies or not, I'd really like to continue these meetings of ours where fighting, plotting, and overall problems of the day are more like a secondary concern... it's... been nice like this if you don't mind me saying so."

He didn't so much as swivel his good towards her as he favored looking towards the blue sky and the lazy clouds drifting by, a gaze she soon followed as she busied herself with her own thoughts. Reason dictated that she should bring him in for the crimes he committed, which crimes and to whom were left to debate. Yet he wasn't a villain, at least not a true one; what kind of villain saves people who would ultimately clash with him when their deaths would be a greater boon to him than their continued existence? He was someone who was born with a stigma that drove away others just by being there... something she could relate to... unfortunately. He did nothing to harm her, outside their encounters as both Red X and Grave at least and even then the harm was more annoying than truly harmful, nor dupe her into giving away information. When she fought him alongside her comrades, she sensed no ill will on his part. A small measure of aggression perhaps, but no intent to grievously harm any of the Titans. Not knowingly at least. And... much to her reluctance, he was the kind of company she wished her teammates could be when things were neither ludicrous nor serious at the base of their discussions.

A small frown creased her lips as she inwardly sighed... and dared to strike up what seemed to help form some measure of Naruto's reasoning: Honesty with one's self.

... Robin was going to give her hell for this, that much was for certain when he found out.

"I... would like that too." Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Naruto giving her a one eyed look of surprise before rolling his head back to gaze up at the clouds once more with a small smile on his lips.

**A/N: Though likely to stay the same, I might come back to this on a later date to change a few things. No guarantees though.**

**_Rashomon_****- Ultimately I only have a loose translation of this word and its basically the conflicting tales of two or more people/articles, especially from accredited sources. If I'm wrong then please feel free to correct me.**

**And no, Raven is not aware of the Byakugan eye. Not leaving that for some confusion.**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


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